The Underworld
by ILoveStefanSalvatore
Summary: A Family of Vampires The Jones encounter a mysterious family at their new school The Bellards . The youngest of the Joens Annabelle is drawn immediately to the youngest of the other family Dillan. Bellards are vampire hunters hint,hint


Introduction:

When it feels like you've entered one of those parallel dimensions. Where nothing made sense, and everything that was surrounding you, had little meaning to it. It would feel like there was another world that you never knew existed. And different worlds, mean't complications. And complications could affect not just yours, but several other lives. It could even cost the lives of dozens, or even just cause a collision where two worlds would collide, only to cause everything else to fall apart.

Chapter 1: First Day

Annabelle:

I was looking out the open window as we passed a Welcome to Alaska: City Limits sign. My long brown hair was blowing out the car window, and around my face.

I pushed a part of my hair behind my ear, and leaned my head against the backseat of the car. The same re-occuring nightmares were reflecting through my eyes. Denver was so much different, than where we were now. Over eighty years ago, was where I had to watch the tragic deaths of my mother and father.

It hurt knowing they didn't know I had been there. That I could have done something. But, they already believed that I was dead.

And me, now apart of the underworld; immortal, and trapped. Trapped in a 16 year old human body for all eternity. There were no other options that had faced me.

Forced to live on the blood of humans, and murdering others. And even, people that I didn't know. Even if they had no effect on me.

I continued to stare out the window, as buildings and street signs came into view. I turned my head to watch everyone else. Kevin and Amanda were in the two front seats. They were my "adopted parents" to both me and my "adopted" brothers and sisters.

In the backseat, I heard Elizabeth and Peter talking. They were discussing our new school Roosevelt High, hoping to find new prey.

"Annabelle?" I heard Danielle say beside me.

"Oh, what?" I was startled by the sound of her voice.

"What do you think Roosevelt High will be like?" She asked, as she faced the front of the car, deep in thought.

"Nothing like Denver was. Oh, what fun that will be," Elizabeth remarked sarcastically.

"We're here," Amanda finally said.

I stared at the tall brown building that I believed was our house. There were several windows, and a big enough garage that could fit at least five cars.

It had taken me a minute to realize, I was the only one still in the car, while everyone else was unloading the luggage from the trunk.

"The house is better than I thought," I heard Elizabeth say as she was taking out bags from the trunk. Then, she started walking towards the house, with bags in one hand, and her other hand in Peter's.

I followed behind with what was left.

That night, after everything had been unpacked, I was sitting on the porch that was connected to my room. I was wearing a sweatshirt, and jeans with my hair pulled back behind me.

The same nightmares were reflecting through my eyes again. So visually, it felt like they were happening right in front of me.

My dark past was haunting me. Part of me felt like it was my fault for what had happened that night.

I could just hear it. The gunshot from miles away. It was loud enough to hear just outside the city.

I remembered walking through the front doors of the bank, just in time to see my parents slowly fall to the ground.

The police and several ambulances had arrived right behind me. Several people had died that day, including my mother and father.

I wish I could of allowed them to see me one last time. But it wasn't possible.

By that time, I had become immortal. And so, I couldn't have explained this to them. They just wouldn't understand.

It hadn't taken long after that, before realizing, my eyes were closed.

They flew open to find the sun rising. I could hear everyone downstairs, getting ready for school, and decided that I should too.

But, first I had to eat. I hopped down from the porch, and raced off into the forest.

By the time I was back, I saw that everyone but me appeared ready.

I got dressed as fast as I could, putting on a blue sweater, and a pair of black jeans.

My black shoes were in my hands as I raced down the stairs, with my backpack hanging over my shoulder.

I was stepping outside, when Peter began honking the horn, as everyone else was shouting my name.

"About time you got here," Danielle commented, as I got in the backseat with her.

"Sorry," I muttered closing the door behind me. I put my seatbelt on, just as Peter began backing out of the driveway.

The car ride to school was short, but also quiet.

I watched as Elizabeth was messing around with the radio up front. And before long, we had arrived. It wasn't too hard to figure out.

I stared at the tall-bricked building, covered in windows, as we pulled into the parking lot.

There were already a few cars there. Some students were heading inside, while others continued to stand around in the parking lot. I noticed a large sign marked above the doors, labeled Roosevelt High School.

Peter slowly turned into an opened spot, and turned off the engine.

We all slowly removed our seatbelts, and began opening the doors. I looked around, only to find several people staring this way.

We all slowly began walking, keeping our eyes straight.

Peter and Elizabeth walked ahead, hand-in-hand, as Danielle and I followed behind them.

"Who are they?" I heard a guy with short brownish hair whisper to the dark haired girl, next to him.

"I don't know," I heard her whisper back, as we passed them.

We finally reached the front doors, and stepped inside. There wasn't much to point out.

A few people walked by, avoiding eye contact with us. And the walls, and staircases were both pale, and plain.

My eyes scanned around, until I found what we needed.

I walked ahead of the others, turning left and walking through a door to the right, that was marked MAIN OFFICE.

The second we stepped in, the lady at the front desk looked up at us.

"Her smell's nothing like that girl outside," I heard Elizabeth say. Her voice was so low, that I wasn't sure if she mean't for me to hear that.

"Can I help you?" The receptionist asked us, with a small smile on her lips, as she was putting on her glasses.

"We're the Jones Family," was all I said.

"Just a minute," She replied before she turned to face the computer screen.

I examined her as she was typing. She wore a plain white shirt, and her dirty blond hair was pulled back into a bun.

It made me feel as if I was overdressed. I turned my head to look out the window, as more students were walking by.

They all appeared dressed in different types of clothing. None of them were familiar to me at all. I bet anybody else was thinking the same about us.

"No wonder everyone won't stop staring," I thought to myself.

A few minutes later, several pieces of paper were coming out of the printer.

The receptionist took them all out, and sorted them into several different piles. Then, she set the piles, one at a time on the counter.

"I need each of you to fill out one of each of these papers. I also have your schedules and maps to the school right here," She said without looking up, as she pointed to each of the piles.

By the time we were done, the halls were flooded with kids. We all walked out, as we received more stares.

I rolled my eyes, as we all headed down the hall. Peter and I were headed in the opposite direction of everyone else.

Lucky enough, he was in my first class, which made me feel a little better.

But, it didn't help when our teacher, Mr. Adams forced us to stand in front of everyone else and introduce ourselves.

I almost felt my face flush, as we were walking to our seats. I kept my head down.

Paying attention wasn't easy, since we had already learned this stuff.

"Big deal, learning about World War II, again," I thought sarcastically.

I turned around to face Peter, who appeared to be writing. What was it? I had no idea. But, I knew he wasn't paying attention to the teacher, either.

He looked up, and held out of folded paper to me. I took it and turned back around, so I could read it under the desk.

I quickly looked around the room, to make sure no one was looking this way. I forced a smile seeing nearly half the class asleep. And I was pretty sure that the fact it was 7:30in the morning, wasn't the reason.

_"Annabelle- Meet us at the front doors at lunch. Elizabeth needs our help. She's found our next prey."_

I turned back around and nodded in agreement, as I forced a smile. He smiled back, and winked at me. I laughed a bit, before turning back around.

Before I knew it, the bell rang. The clock read, 8:00. Four hours. Great.

The rest of the morning had gone by fast. I had to face English class alone. But lucky enough, the teacher showed me to my seat, and that was it.

It was the same for Biology class, which helped Danielle and I.

Unfortunately, our Spanish teacher was just like Mr. Adams. And for Algebra, Peter, Elizabeth, and I felt like the teacher was giving each of us a hard time.

I felt so relieved when the bell rang at noon. The rest of us met up with Elizabeth at the main entrance.

I stood on guard, as I watched Danielle and Peter walk into the cafeteria, and approach the dark haired girl, from this morning.

She stood up, and walked outside with them. I followed behind, only to stop at the lunch tables.

"Hey guys. The principal wanted me to tell you, that he has the exterminator coming. So, you guys need to go in for a few minutes," I lied.

Everyone managed to buy it, and headed on in. Danielle was waiting for me, and I followed her into the forest.

Elizabeth and Peter were already feeding, when we found them. We joined them. It took up until we were heading back, that I wished I hadn't.

To think, that after doing this for the last nearly 100 years, I would start to feel compassion for these humans.

I could understand them. And, maybe try being friends with them. They were what I used to be. And instead of trying to help them, I was hurting them.

We were taking their lives, instead of saving them. I felt like a monster. Just imagining the horrified looks on the faces of parents, grandparents, and even friends.

These thoughts brought back my own. And, they had been the same ones that had been haunting me, the night before.

My mind was now on the girl's body that was buried deep in the forest. What if no one ever found it? And what would people think if they did?

The thought of that was bringing back flashbacks. The same ones, that haunted me now and forever will.

I felt even worse, when we entered the school, and started walking through the cafeteria.

"Where is Charlotte?" I heard a voice say. It was the same boy that was talking to the girl this morning.

"I don't know. She should have been back by now," One of the girls said impatiently.

My legs were wobbly, and I felt like I would crumble to the ground, any second. But, I managed to keep myself balanced, as I followed the others to the only available table in the lunchroom.

" You ok, Annabelle?" Peter asked, as we all sat down. I avoided making eye contact, as I tried to think through, whether or not to tell him the truth.

"I'm fine," I lied. I put my head down on the table, while the others started talking.

"You sure you're ok?" I heard Danielle ask.

"Yeah," I said, as I lifted my head up. My eyes started to wander around the room, trying to find somewhere to look without looking at the girl, Charlotte's table.

I stopped to stare at one table that stood out to me. Part of the reason was because they seemed different among the rest.

There were three of them seated. One was a girl with shoulder length brown hair. She was wearing a white jacket that was covered in black polka dots.

She was talking to a boy with short black hair. He was wearing a blue and white strip buttoned shirt.

The last one was a blond haired boy, who appeared to be staring down at the table. And, he didn't appear to be talking to the other two.

They all looked related. But, something stood out the most about them. They all appeared pale, just like me. Only, nowhere near as much.

My attention went back to the blond boy. He slowly looked up and met my gaze. I turned around instantly, and my attention was now on Danielle.

Her head was turned around, and looking the same way I was. Then, she slowly turned back around, to face Peter and Elizabeth, before she put her head down.

I rested my chin on my arms, and listened to Peter and Elizabeth, until the bell finally rang.

Danielle lifted up her head, and got up, with the rest of us. We all walked together, until we were out of the cafeteria.

Peter and Danielle headed down the hall, as Elizabeth and I headed upstairs. We walked until we found the door, labeled Computer Lab, and walked in.

The room was painted blue, and smelled like perfume. It was too much, that I couldn't smell anybody.

We went up to the teacher, who according to the whiteboard was named Mrs. Anderson. She signed our papers, and sent us to our seats, without bothering to introduce us.

I could tell that she was going to be my favorite teacher. As we took our seats, that's when I saw him, again.

I recognized him by that same blond hair. He was wearing a red jacket over a white shirt, followed by a pair of blue jeans, and white sneakers.

I looked up, and was surprised to find him turned around in his seat. He was staring at me, again. I watched him turn back around, to face the whiteboard.

Class started then, and I turned away. For most of the class, I was looking at Mrs. Anderson. She was writing notes down on the board. She was talking about a project we would start on in a few weeks.

After a while, I finally looked up at the clock. _10 minutes to go. _I decided to write down what was on the board, even though I didn't need to.

As soon as the bell rang, I bolted from the room. One more class to go, but I had it by myself.

As I started off in the same direction I had come from, I could hear footsteps behind me. They eventually caught up, and stopped right in front of me.

It was him.

"Hi. You must be new. I'm Dillan. Dillan Bellard. I was wondering if you needed any help finding your next class," the boy said.

I was speechless. He was talking to me. I had to say something.

"Where's the gym?" I asked, without thinking.

"Go down those stairs," He said as he pointed at the flight of stairs, I was headed for.

"Then you go to the end of the hall, and it's on your left."

"Um, thank you," I said, trying to be as polite as I could. I continued to walk, as he followed continued to follow me.

"So, what's your name?" Dillan asked me, as we walked down the stairs.

I turned to face him. A small smile had formed on his lips.

"Annabelle," I finally managed to choke out. "Annabelle Jones." I turned away to face forward. But, I still felt his eyes on me.

We were both quiet, until we finally reached the gym. He started to walk away. But then, he stopped and turned to face me.

"It was nice to meet you Annabelle. See you around," He said smiling wider than before.

"You too," I said, with a small smile on my lips. He turned around, and started to head back in the same direction.

"Dillan," I said quietly, before I pushed on the Gym doors and headed inside.

Chapter 2: Changes

I never thought I'd be so happy to be home.

Kevin and Amanda were waiting in the driveway, as we pulled up.

"Hey kids, how was school?" Kevin asked as we got out, and began to gather up our things.

"It was fine. Other than the fact that everyone wouldn't stop staring at us," Elizabeth said, as she flung her bag over her shoulder.

"Roosevelt is definitely different," Peter added.

I caught a look that Danielle had on her face. What was she going to say? Did she know about Dillan? Did she? Did any of them?

"Danielle, Annabelle, what did you guys think?" Amanda asked.

"I think that humans need to learn, to keep their eyes, on their own business. One of them, wouldn't stop staring at Annabelle all day," Danielle said, as she shuddered at the last part.

I kept my eyes down, as I grabbed my bag and stormed past them all, and into the house.

Why did it matter? It wasn't that weird. Everyone was staring all day long. Only Dillan's stare was different. It was almost like he knew something. Maybe, even suspected something.

I couldn't help but picture the looks he gave me at lunch, and in class. And then, he was a completely different person when he talked to me.

It was as if he thought we were as strange as we seemed, and talking to me was proving a point, whether it was right or wrong.

I started to wonder if Danielle had noticed the same thing. Unless, she noticed something else. But, what could it be? My thoughts were interrupted, as I heard everyone else come in.

"Annabelle," I heard Kevin say. I could hear him coming up from behind me, as the others followed behind.

I stopped dead in my tracks, and turned slowly to face him.

"Did something happen?" Amanda asked.

"Did he follow you after class?" Elizabeth asked.

"Did he talk to you?" Peter asked.

"Yes," I said quietly. I looked at each of them. All of them had shocked looks on their faces.

"All I said was my name," I added.

"That's it?" Danielle edged.

She was trying to make sure that I wasn't keeping anything. But sure enough I wasn't.

"Yeah," I simply replied.

I turned around and headed upstairs to start on my homework. I could overhear everyone else talking in the hallway.

"This could be bad. He may know something," I heard Elizabeth say.

" All we need to do is stay away from him. The farther, the better," Kevin said.

"Yeah, not to mention the rest of his family," Peter added.

It was silent for a moment. Suddenly, I heard Elizabeth gasp.

"What?" Danielle asked urgently.

It had grown silent again, before Elizabeth spoke.

"What if. What if he saw us go into the forest?" She asked with a worried tone in her voice.

"Impossible, I double checked. No one saw us," I shouted.

"Are you sure?" Peter asked, as he walked into my room.

"Yes," I replied, not making eye contact with him.

" I checked too. No one was even near the windows. Besides, even if someone knew something, at least one of us would know, right?" Danielle asked us all.

I looked up to find her standing in the doorway, while everyone else was standing behind her.

"Right. Look, if we keep our distance, he won't be suspicious of us," Elizabeth said.

"Right," I agreed. Everyone else nodded, before they all walked out.

My lips said yes to keep my word. But was my mind saying the same?

By the next day, we didn't draw as much attention as the day before. It helped a lot. But, there was something else that had the school buzzing. Everyone was talking about the disappearance of Charlotte.

I tried my best not to think about it as I was walking into the front office.

"May I help you?" The receptionist asked me, as I was approaching her desk.

I said nothing. Instead, I just handed her my paperwork.

"Thank you dear," She said without looking up. I walked straight out of the office, without turning around.

"Annabelle," I heard a voice say. Someone was coming up from behind me.

Oh no, it wasn't, was it?

It was. Dillan caught up to me in no time. I stopped, to turn around and face him. He was wearing a blue jacket, and black sneakers, instead of white. And his hair seemed messier than yesterday.

"Hello Dillan," I finally said. We continued to walk, side by side.

"Did you hear that a girl disappeared during lunch yesterday? Apparently, she walked out of the building and never came back," He said with curiosity in his voice.

"Really? I didn't know," I lied. "Has anyone seen her since?"

"No, not yet," He replied. "It's just weird."

"It is," I agreed. I felt like someone should write the word "Guilty" across my forehead.

Lucky enough, I was now where I needed to go.

" Well, my class is this way. So I'll see you later," I said at last. Then, I walked away, without looking back.

I was in trouble. Big trouble. Danielle wrote a note to me in Biology class, saying:

_"Annabelle, why were you talking to him? What did he say? What did you say? I need answers!"_

I looked over at her. She had a very impatient look on her face.

_"I'll explain everything at lunch," _I wrote back.

"What were you thinking Annabelle?" Elizabeth nearly exclaimed, as we all took our seats in the lunchroom.

"Don't you guys think that ignoring him, is only going to make us more suspicious. And for the record, he came to me," I explained, as I was putting my backpack on the back of my chair, before I turned to face them.

"Well, I guess so. Sorry I flipped out," Elizabeth said apologetically.

"It's fine. All he brought up was, that girl disappearing. But, I sounded convincing enough, to make him believe that I just found out," I said, "I could tell."

Everyone sighed with relief.

"It's not your fault Annabelle. You're just looking out for the family," Peter said.

"Yeah, we just all need to be careful," Danielle added.

"Meaning, no more hunting during school," Peter said eyeing Elizabeth. I forced a smile.

"Agreed," Elizabeth said, with a smile on her face.

That night, I paced back and forth, thinking. Would our promises be kept even in the slightest amount? I don't know. But, I did know we had to do something to stay as low as we could. No one could find out anything. Our secret. Not even about Charlotte's murder. The only question now was: what was it?

By the next morning, I had it.

" We shouldn't hunt humans anymore," I said. I almost wished hadn't said that. Reasoning with them wasn't going to be easy.

"What!" Elizabeth exclaimed. Everyone else seemed just as shocked as her.

"Hunting humans is part of our lives," Peter protested.

" Our lives are at sake. So unless we want to be exposed, something has to be changed," I stated. I sounded convincing. I could tell now, that everyone had calmed down.

" You have a point. But are we supposed to hunt?" Danielle asked eyeing Peter, before she turned to me.

"I don't know," I admitted. "It just can't be humans."

It was silent for a moment. Then, I saw Kevin headed for the front door.

"I have an idea," He said "Follow me."

The rest of us followed behind. He led all of us into the forest.

A smell suddenly whisked by me. It was too unfamiliar to me, so I knew it wasn't human.

And then, Kevin was off, in that same direction. The rest of us followed him. We found him at last, standing by a deer that appeared to be dead. He didn't. Did he?

"Ew, no! I'm not hunting deer!" Danielle shrieked in disgust.

"Maybe we should. It's much less suspicious. But, we don't hunt during school. Just before and after. And this is much safer," I explained.

"Exactly. Plus animals are much easier to hunt than humans," Kevin added.

"So what, we're supposed to become vegetarians?" Peter asked confused.

"Yes," Kevin replied. And then, Elizabeth and Amanda were off. Peter and I followed behind.

It turned out Kevin was right, much easier.

"I still don't know," Danielle said, still a bit disgusted.

"Danielle, it's just something we'll have to adjust to. And at least now, we'll have no reason to have anybody, especially Dillan suspicious of us.

"Vegetarian Vampires," Elizabeth teased. Danielle was silent for a moment, and than she was off.

I smiled in approval. This was the answer, and no longer a problem.

Chapter 3: Problems

The next few days were going by rather slow.

Dillan's family appeared to be dying down on suspicions. But, that was only a guess. I haven't spoken to him lately. We all stuck together, as much as possible, which kept Dillan far from us.

My guilt of Charlotte's death was finally decreasing, along with the talk of it. Some say she dropped out of school. Others believed that she moved.

People even started to consider an alien abduction.

The reflections in my eyes flashed me back to that first day from time to time, though.

I could imagine the terrified look on her face. She definitely would have screamed if the others hadn't acted so quickly.

Now, my reflections were on the forest. Knowing her body was still there, somewhere.

Surely, someone was going to find her someday. My mind snapped out of my thoughts, suddenly realizing I had work stacked in front of me.

On top, was a note. Had to be from Danielle. And it had to be important. Otherwise, she would tell me later.

_"We need to talk, at lunch" _was all it said.

By lunchtime, I was hurrying to the cafeteria as fast as I could.

Everyone else was already there. They appeared to be staring at a newspaper lying in the middle of the table.

When I got to the table, the main headline had already caught my eye.

"MYSTERIOUS KILLER SWARMS THE CITY" I read aloud. I looked up. My eyes were on Peter, whose eyes were on Danielle's. And hers and Elizabeth's were on me.

"Did any of you do anything?" Danielle asked, making sure she was speaking low enough for only the three of us to hear. Everyone was shaking their heads, and all seemed puzzled by the question.

"Do Kevin and Amanda know?" I asked quietly.

"Not yet they don't," Elizabeth replied. Her eyes were now on Peter.

And with the worry I now had, it only made the day feel longer and go by slower.

Every now and then, I would check the clock to make sure it was still working. It was. And luckily, the day finally had ended.

We raced home as fast as we could. As we were walking through the front door, Kevin and Amanda were standing over the kitchen table. They were staring at the newspaper headline. I could hear the news playing silently in the background.

"This is unbelievable," Kevin muttered to himself. I leaned myself against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest.

Danielle was standing over the kitchen table. Amanda, and Elizabeth were both sitting down, as Kevin began pacing back and forth. Peter stood by Elizabeth, as he put both his hands on her shoulders.

None of us seemed to understand, who or what was responsible for this. Clearly, it couldn't have been one of us. Could it?

"No one's been hunting any humans, right?" Amanda asked, as she eyed each of us suspiciously.

I could tell that she feared hearing everyone's answers. The silence continued. But by the look on everyone's faces, they all seemed puzzled again. No one seemed like they knew what to say.

I watched as Elizabeth pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, before she spoke.

"I don't think it was any of us. Think about it you guys. We've been together for so long. It wouldn't be like any of us to go turning our backs on everyone else, right?"

She put her face in her hands as she slowly shook her head. I peeked over at the newspaper's front headline again, and began reading the caption to myself.

_"As recently reported, 17 year old Charlotte Watson mysteriously disappeared several days ago, from Roosevelt High. Now, newly discovered disappearances have occurred. But, it seems that the bodies of these victims have appeared in the most random places. Places include: the forest, the side of the road, etc. But, police investigators have reported that there appears to be no evidence to who killed them, and how."_

I stopped reading for a moment, only to have the next line catch my eye

_"Most bodies have been found between 8am and 10am, throughout the week."_

So, it couldn't have been any of us. Not that I didn't believe them. But, the question now was: if it wasn't any of us, who was it?

"You guys. It couldn't have been any of us. Most of them had been found in the early mornings. How could any of us have been there, when we all were inside the school building? Besides, if any of us tried to leave, we would have gotten caught," I explained, as I stabbed my index finger into the newspaper.

"Annabelle's right," Kevin agreed. "Somebody else is definitely responsible. And, I highly doubt that who ever it was, mean't for this to be an accident."

"So what, are there others out there?" Peter asked, with a hard look on his face.

"I don't know, maybe," Kevin replied honestly.

After a few more minutes of silence, I uncrossed my arms, and started towards the door.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," I said opening the front door.

I raced off, with everyone else behind me. Everyone split up, scanning the city. But no matter where we went; whether it was the forest, the school, anywhere, there was nothing.

Not even a sign that anyone had even been here. But, we didn't plan on giving up. We missed the rest of the week of school, to keep looking. We even went as far as the state's boundary line. But, we didn't find anything.

Whoever these guys were, knew we would hunt them. They knew exactly where they could and could not go. These vampires were smart, and wise.

They were choosing their locations carefully. But, the problem now was: what if we never find them? What if we're too late?

Chapter 4: Something More

We finally returned to school, the next week. But, our hunt continued. We kept a close eye on everyone passing by. I feared that whoever it was could very well be in this building.

Who knows? It could even be the last person we would ever suspect.

And part of me, began to suspect Dillan's family. It couldn't be. Could it?

I thought about this as Elizabeth and I walked into the computer lab, and took our seats.

In my mind, I began arguing with myself.

_"Maybe it's him."_

_"It couldn't be."_

_"Really?"_

_"Yes, really."_

_"They're suspicious enough, as it is!"_

That was true.

_But, he's suspicious of you, not the other way around."_

That was true, too.

Lucky enough, class started then. My mind arguing would have to wait until later.

I started to pay attention to what Mrs. Anderson said. Apparently, we were to create a presentation about our high school years. And we would be split up into groups, according to number cards she would be passing around.

The year was more than half over. But, there was so much more left. Finals. Graduation. Prom. If I even go. Not to mention, the most important one of all.

Catching the vampires in the city. If, it really was them.

I was staring down at my hands, as I pulled my gloves over them. Just then, Mrs. Anderson passed me, as she handed me my card.

"Annabelle," I heard Elizabeth whisper. I turned to my side to find her holding up her card that was labeled "4". Looking down at mine, I was relieved that mine said the same.

I held it up and smiled at her, as she smiled back. We both got up, and reported to the corner that had number 4.

Finding the rest of our group wasn't difficult. But, I should have seen this coming.

"Hey Annabelle," I heard Dillan say, as he approached us. I looked down at his card. Dang it. It said 4.

"Hey Dillan," I said, with a fake smile on my face. I noticed the girl standing next to him. I recognized her as the same girl that I saw at his table the first day.

"Hi, I'm Caroline," The girl said, with a friendly smile on her lips.

"I'm Elizabeth, and this is Annabelle," Elizabeth said, as she smiled back.

Caroline sat down at the computer next to her, as the rest of us crowded around.

"I have an idea. Two of us design the pages, and the other two could write what we'll say," She suggested, as she opened up a document on the computer.

"That's a good idea. And, I already have a perfect idea for the backgrounds," Elizabeth said, as she sat down next to her.

" Excellent, and I know a way to add some great special effects," Caroline added.

"Guess we're typing," Dillan said to me. I turned to face him.

"Guess so," I agreed as I started towards a computer and sat down.

He sat down next to me, and began to type. Through the reflection of the computer screen, I could see him. And, I couldn't help but notice something else, too.

"Wow. His hair looks amazing, today," I thought to myself. I continued to stare at his reflection, until he stopped typing.

"How does this sound?" He asked me. I stared at the screen, while I read each line carefully.

Wow.

"That's really good," I said rather impressed. Now, a real smile formed on my face. Through the reflection of the screen, I saw him looking at me. I turned to face him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked him, suddenly realizing that I was still smiling.

"I don't know," He responded. Now, he was smiling.

I looked away instantly, and started typing.

"I have an idea of what to add," I said as I continued to type. My eyes never left the screen.

"Hey guys. How's everything going?" I heard Caroline say over my shoulder. She startled me a bit, nearly causing me to jump out of my seat.

"Great," Dillan and I said at the same time.

"Great," She said smiling, and walked away, seeming almost confused. What's with her? When I finally stopped typing, Dillan spoke again.

"I know what to add next," He said.

I jerked my hand away from the keyboard. But, I wasn't fast enough. Looking down, I saw that his hand had softly brushed against mine.

But since I was wearing gloves, it didn't feel like much. But even in that case, I felt like an electric current had just run through my body.

What was happening to me?

That didn't mean anything.

It was an accident, wasn't it?

As days and days passed, things had gotten good, and bad at the same time.

Good News: The Computer Lab Project was nearly done, when no one else had come close.

Bad News: We still didn't know whether or not there were other vampires in the city.

And we were beginning to fear Dillan's family getting suspicious, again. Which is why, Amanda and Kevin began looking up information about the Bellard Family. Hopefully, they'll find something soon.

One Thursday afternoon came, and we would soon find out.

As I was going to my seat, I noticed a folded piece of paper lying on the table. I read the front of it, only to find it labeled _Annabelle_ clearly across the center.

"If Elizabeth had to tell me something, a note doesn't seem that necessary," I thought to myself, as I put it in my backpack. I'll read it later.

Since our project was done, I stayed at my seat throughout the class. My head was lying down on the table, allowing my mind to wander freely.

After school, finally came. I could undercover the mystery of that note.

"Elizabeth, why did you leave me a note in the Computer Lab?" I asked her confused.

She turned around in the passenger's seat. She seemed rather puzzled by the question.

"What note?" She asked.

"It wasn't you?" I asked her.

I prayed someone would say that this was a joke, and that they wrote it.

Nothing.

I stopped breathing, and felt like I was going to pass out on the driveway. Peter and Elizabeth went to the computer for more research, while Danielle followed me upstairs.

I collapsed onto the couch, as she sat down on the bed.

"Where's the note?" She asked me.

"In the front pocket of my backpack," I said pointing to my bag lying on the ground.

I watched her take it out, and begin to unfold it. About halfway unfolded, she stopped.

"It's from your lover," She said, with a bit of disgust in her voice.

"My _lover?_" I asked confused. She handed me the note. I finished unfolding it, and read it allowed.

_"Annabelle, if you aren't busy tomorrow, would you like to hang out with me? -Dillan"_

I stared at the paper in shock for a moment. Then, I looked up at Danielle. She seemed as surprised as I was.

"Don't go. It's a trap!" Elizabeth shouted, as she came running into the room.

"What are you talking about?" I asked in confusion, as I got up from the couch.

"Follow me," was all she said, as she walked over to Danielle to yank her off the bed. She ran out of the room, with me following close behind. I followed her down the stairs, and into the living room, where everyone else was by the computer.

Peter was sitting in the chair, next to the monitor. I walked over to find a web page open on the screen.

Amanda and Kevin were crowded around him. I went to stand by Amanda, as Elizabeth and Danielle sat down on the couch.

"Annabelle? Show them the note," Danielle finally said. I handed the unfolded piece of paper to Amanda.

It took them a lot less time than me to read it through.

"If you go, you're dead," Elizabeth said, as Kevin handed me back the note.

"I'm not quite following," I asked still confused.

If they had something they needed to say, all they had to do was say it.

"Annabelle, he's dangerous," Peter said, his eyes now meeting mine.

"What do you mean, he's _dangerous_?" I asked them again. All I wanted was the truth, and that wasn't what they were giving me.

"Dillan. Dillan's a hunter, Annabelle," Danielle choked out.

I just stared at her for a moment, unsure what to say.

"When you say hunter, what exactly does that," I started to say. Kevin cut me off.

"A Vampire Hunter, Annabelle. Him and his whole family."

"They are sworn for one purpose, and one purpose only. To kill us," Peter whispered the last part.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. A Vampire Hunter? The Bellard's? Dillan? Vampire Hunters?

"But," I started to say. I thought through all of this again, before I spoke.

"Dillan. He wouldn't do that to me. I don't believe you guys! He's not like that. You don't know the Dillan I know. You just don't want me to be friends with him!" I shouted, before I ran out of the room.

I didn't stop until I reached my room, and locked the door behind me.

"Annabelle," I heard them shout outside the door. I ignored them, as I buried my face into my pillow.

"Annabelle. Please talk to us," I heard Danielle plead. I looked up to find her outside the window. I put my face down in my pillow. And eventually, she gave up.

None of them bothered me for the rest of night. And by the time the sun rose, I was off. I went to the school, the second I had finished hunting. The thought of riding with everyone else in a car didn't make me feel good.

I refused to talk to any of them in class. And, I spent lunch in the Computer Lab.

Mrs. Anderson was the only other person in the room. She didn't talk to me, besides saying "Hi", when I came in.

I didn't want to see any of them right now.

To think, that The Bellards would actually try to kill me. Kill. Me. No way.

But, it didn't stop my mind from imagining.

Through the reflections in my eyes, I now saw myself in a dark, cold room. Dillan was there, too. And, I saw us fighting. Fighting to the death. My story ended, with Dillan throwing my body, into a fire. And then he left, as the building burned up behind him.

My eyes flashed open instantly. The Lunch Bell had just rung. I tried re-gathering my thoughts, as people started to come in.

I nearly jumped, when Dillan and Caroline, came in and took their seats.

A few seconds later, a pop-up appeared on my computer screen.

_"You have 1 new message_ "it said.

I clicked on the OK button. The message was from Dillan.

_"Did you see my note? Do you want to hang out?"_

I looked over my screen, and saw him staring over at me. I smiled at him before I looked back to my screen, and typed.

_"When, Where?"_

I hit the SEND button, and looked back over at him. He kept his eyes on the screen, and typed.

_"Silver Creek Meadow 7pm"_

I turned to him, and nodded, before closing out the IM Box. Elizabeth came in, and took her seat. She didn't make eye contact with me, or anybody else.

As soon as the final bell rang, I went home to drop my things off. And then, went out through the window, without being seen.

I was in the forest for the rest of the afternoon. And, I couldn't stop myself from pacing back and forth. Seven a clock was approaching fast.

"I can do this. I'm not scared. He won't hurt me. I'm strong and brave. And, I can handle anything!" I said to myself, before heading for the meadow.

Chapter 5: Who Are They?

Dillan:

I was circling around the forest, over and over again. My hair was flying in my face, as the rain was pounding down on me. I looked around, to find that my family was nowhere in sight.

The rain was finally dying down, and the sun was coming out from the clouds.

"Dillan? Dillan where are you?" I turned around, and started to head back.

"Dillan?" I heard again. Only this time, the voice was closer.

I turned around, to find Caroline standing there.

"Where have you been? You started down another path," I asked, as I approached her.

"I thought I saw something. But, it turns out it was just Sam heading home," She explained.

I started walking down the trail that would get us out of the forest, as Caroline followed behind.

I kept my eyes forward, while my mind was still focused on my surroundings.

Something, or someone, was coming. I could sense it. I wasn't paying attention to anything else. The thought of missing it was drowning in my head.

What if it got us, before we got it? I don't know.

"Did Sam find anything?" I asked her, as we walked out of the forest, and began on the road.

"No, nothing yet. Neither did Jeff nor Emily. They all gave up, and went back home," She explained, as she began to walk faster.

I could tell she wanted to race me home. So, I did. I started off just ahead of her. And, we kept running until we saw the house.

I reached the driveway, just before she did.

"Ha!" I exclaimed, as I held the door open for her.

"Big deal. You got a head start," She said to me, as we walked into the kitchen.

Sam was looking through several different newspapers, and magazines, over and over again. Jeff and Emily were flipping back, and forth through different news channels.

"Nothing!" I heard Sam shout. He put his head down on the table, groaning at the same time.

"Anything on the news, yet?" Caroline asked, as she sat down on the couch. I leaned over the side, while my eyes were focused on the television screen.

"Nope, nothing," Jeff sighed.

"The fact that there's nothing, has to mean that there'll be something," I said. My eyes were on Jeff as I sat down.

"Without a doubt," Caroline agreed.

I watched as she put her feet up on the couch, and her eyes closed. Jeff and Emily decided on one channel to watch, and stared blankly at the screen.

The room was too quiet. I got up, and started towards the stairs.

"One stair at a time," I told myself.

My legs were too tired. And I was afraid of tripping, and falling back down.

But to my amazement, I made it up the stairs, and slowly walked down the hall. When I finally reached my room, I shut the door behind me, and collapsed onto the bed.

I wasn't sure how long I stayed like that.

Before, I could flinch; there was a knock at the door.

"What?" I groaned, as I stared up at the ceiling.

"Dinner's ready," I heard Emily say through the crack of the door.

"I'm too tired. I can barely move," I complained.

I looked over at the door, to see her opening the door slowly, and walking in.

"Would you like me to bring it up here?" She offered.

I said nothing. I went back to looking up at the ceiling.

"I know how tired you must be," She said, as she walked towards the bed, and sat down." You were out there more than any of us."

"I know mom," I admitted. I lifted my eyes, to look up at her.

She ran one of her hands through my hair, as the other was rubbing my shoulder.

"I want to keep this family safe. Whatever it takes. To do what's right," I said, my eyes still on hers.

"And, I know you will," She assured me.

She stood up, and leaned down to kiss my forehead. Then, she walked out and closed the door behind her.

I continued to lie there, allowing my mind to wander. But, it wasn't long after that, when my eyes began to feel drowsy.

The sound of my alarm startled me. I opened my eyes, to find myself on the ground.

"Has anybody seen my left shoe?" I heard Caroline shout from across the hall.

I couldn't help but force a smile, as I got up off the ground. I turned off the alarm, before going over to my closet.

As I got dressed, it had taken me a few minutes for my mind to re-gain on reality.

I thought about what Emily had said last night. And, it got me thinking that she was right.

Thinking about what I was doing for this family. And, that had to mean, doing what was right.

The question was: How will I know what I'm doing is either right or wrong? And in doing so, what was going to happen?

These questions were buzzing around my head, the entire ride to school.

I snapped out of it, as we were all getting out of the car.

Hardly anyone was in the parking lot. But, it was loaded with cars.

So, we kept bumping into people, as we tried to make it into the building.

"I gotta get to class. See you later, guys," I said to them, before heading off.

Class went by too slow. But, I managed to keep awake, from all the whispering.

The guy sitting in front of me, that I believed was named Sean, was talking to a girl named Charlotte that was sitting next to him.

"Did you see those new kids? It's so strange. First day, and already feel the need to show off," She whispered.

"Come on, Charlotte. They seemed shy. I don't think they were even aware of it. I mean, come on, you saw how uncomfortable they looked in the parking lot," Sean whispered back.

"New Kids?" I thought to myself. Oh yeah. The whole school's been buzzing about it for weeks.

"Bottom line, they seem nice. They're just shy. Remember, your first day," Sean added.

"They all look related. And yet, two of them were hand holding. Creepy," Charlotte whispered, as she turned to face the board.

" How do you know? Maybe, they're not related," He whispered back, before turning to face the board, himself.

I began copying the notes that had been written down on the board. But, my mind was elsewhere. I thought about what Charlotte and Sean had said. Maybe they are as weird as everyone else said.

By lunch, I guess I would find out. None of the new kids turned up, so far.

I scanned the cafeteria, in search of them.

Everything seemed pretty normal, to me. The only thing that caught my eye was Charlotte walking out the front door. It was like she was possessed, or something. But, it was pretty weird.

And, a few minutes passed. She hadn't come back yet, but the cafeteria, was flooded with kids.

"Why wasn't anyone outside?" I thought, as I turned to see people coming in.

My attention was now on Caroline and Sam. They were discussing more hunting plans. Well, planning them was more like it.

I sighed. How will we know? And, was anything really out there? And, to top it off, Charlotte's table was being to bug me.

All they did was chant "Charlotte? Where are you? You should have been back by now," for nearly ten minutes.

But, as the words sank in, I paid closer attention. She was missing. Something might have happened to her. But, what could it be? Who was responsible? Even, how did they do it?

My eyes scanned around the cafeteria to find, not just people going back outside. But also, my attention was caught on one table. They had to be the new kids, because I had never seen them before.

And, it didn't appear that anyone else had, either.

Four of them were sitting at the table. Three Girls. One guy. They seemed, New. Shy. Not to mention, pale. The guy, and one of the girls were hand- holding.

"Charlotte was right," I thought to myself.

The boy had blond hair, and was wearing a black jacket, just like the girl. Only, she had on a Purple Short Sleeved Shirt under, and her hair was pulled back.

My eyes followed to the next girl, sitting across from the boy. She had red hair, was a bit shorter than the blond, and wore a white shirt.

But, my attention was mainly focused on the final girl. She appeared to be looking this way. Hey eyes suddenly dropped and she instantly looked away.

She looked embarrassed. Maybe, even scared.

The red haired girl then turned around. She examined all three of us for a moment, before she looked away.

Both of their heads were now lying down on the table.

I watched as the other girl, was playing with her hair, with her free hand; as she rested her head on her other arm.

She had long, wavy brown hair. Her hair was even longer than the blondes. And she was wearing a dark blue sweater.

I couldn't help but notice her lift her head up just a bit. But, she kept her eyes on her own table.

They didn't seem as weird as Charlotte described them. Just, different.

I bet they would talk to someone. That is, if someone talked to them. Maybe. Just, maybe.

Caroline and I were suddenly up, and out of the cafeteria. Sam headed down the hall, as we headed upstairs to the Computer Lab.

When we took our seats, I laid my backpack on my lap. Then, I began digging inside, looking for my binder.

As soon as I found it, I laid my backpack down on the floor, and sat back up, as I set the binder on the table. And, there she was.

I watched as she walked up to Mrs. Anderson's desk, with some papers in her hands, as the blond girl followed behind.

It was hard to resist watching, as Mrs. Anderson signed their papers and sent them to the back of the room.

She passed me so fast, that I didn't even get a glimpse of her paper, to try and find out her name.

My attention was still on her, as she sat her bag on the ground, and looked up to meet my gaze, again.

Our eyes were locked for a moment, before I turned away to face the board.

All during class, part of my mind was focused on note taking. The other was on the girl sitting in the back of the room. Should I talk to her? Would she respond if I did? Would she run away, if I tried?

There was only one way to find out. By the time class ended, the two girls were out of the room, instantly.

I hurried out of the room, only to see that they had gone in separate directions. Perfect. This was my chance.

I hurried down the hall. When I finally caught up with her, she stopped walking.

" Hi. You must be new. I'm Dillan. Dillan Bellard. I was wondering if you needed any help finding your next class," I asked her. She turned to face me. Her reaction was a bit surprising.

I watched as she pulled part of her hair away from her face, with one of her hands. Amazing. The way, her hair flew around her face.

I was snapped out of my thoughts, when she spoke.

"Where's the gym?" She asked. It sounded like she bursted it out, without really thinking through what to say.

The sound of her voice was rather enchanting. I had to hear it, again.

"Go down the staircase," I said pointing towards the staircase.

"Then, go to the end of the hall, and it's on your left."

I examined her reaction. She still seemed shy, and rather uncomfortable. Was I the cause of that? Did I sound too eager?

" Um, thank you," She said, and headed down the stairs. I followed behind. Maybe, I could relax her, somehow.

"So, what's your name?" I asked her. She stopped, to face me again.

A small, smile formed on my lips. I wanted to show her, that I mean't to be polite. And she had no reason to be afraid.

"Annabelle. Annabelle Jones," She said, and immediately looked away.

Annabelle.

She sounded like she was choking. But, managed to catch her breath.

I continued to walk with Annabelle, until we were outside the Gym.

" It was nice to meet you Annabelle. See you around," I said.

"You too," She replied.

I swiftly turned around, and walked away. But even, from a distance, I could have sworn I heard her say my name.

Chapter 6:What you know about her

As last period drowned on forever, I kept thinking about that girl, Annabelle. She seemed nothing like the girl Charlotte had described.

But, that guy Sean. He seemed right. They seemed like; they just wanted to fit in. And that standing out, was the last thing they intended to do.

As I was getting out of the car, and was walking up the driveway, my mind flashed back, to something. The something, that stuck out about Annabelle, the moment I spoke to her. Fear.

She had a fearful look in her eyes. She looked guilty of something. But, she hadn't done anything. Anything, I was aware of. And even if she did, it couldn't have been that bad, right?

"Dillan? What's with him? Dillan!" I heard Caroline, shout for the hundredth time.

I snapped out of it.

"Oh, what?" I bursted out.

"You ok?" Sam asked.

"Uh, yeah, yeah. Don't worry, I'm fine," I assured them.

"Hey, I think I saw one of those new kids today," I heard Caroline say to Sam.

"What did they look like?" Sam asked curiously.

"A red-haired girl. She seemed pale, and rather shy," Caroline explained.

"I've seen her. Each one of them. At Lunch!" I exclaimed, running over to them.

They looked at me, with curious, anxious looks on their faces.

"Really?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Two of them were in our computer class," I replied, as my eyes were on Caroline.

She seemed confused. She didn't seem like she knew what I was talking about.

"The two girls sitting at the back of the room. I met one of them," I added, suddenly regretting that last part.

I clasped my hand over my mouth, hoping she didn't hear that. She did.

"You did? Why?" Sam asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"I don't know. Maybe because, well, I'm really not sure," I answered honestly.

"Find anything out about her?" Emily asked.

I turned to find Emily and Jeff walking into the room, and sitting down on the sofa. Caroline went to go sit next to them. Sam sat on the floor, while I sat down on the loveseat.

"Just that her name's Annabelle," I answered, without making eye contact with any of them.

I looked up, to find Emily getting up of the sofa, and coming over to the loveseat, to sit next to me.

"And that's all?" Sam edged.

I looked at each of them. And by the looks of their faces, it was like they thought I was keeping more from them, than I was leading on. But, I wasn't. I didn't know anything more than, what I had said.

"Yes. If there was more, I would tell you," I finally said.

Everyone exchanged looks. I jumped up.

"You don't believe me, do you?" I nearly shouted.

Did they even believe me? I felt accused, of something that they thought I had done, but wasn't admitting to.

"No, no Dillan!" Caroline exclaimed, jumping up from the couch.

"Of course we believe you. But, I think we need to keep a close eye on this girl. Something, about her doesn't fit right with me," She said, calmly, after she got me to sit back down.

I looked at Sam, who was now pacing back and forth. Then, I looked over to Jeff and Emily. They both nodded in agreement. I had to agree. There was something going on. A new family comes. Charlotte disappears. There was something, about Annabelle. And, I had to find out what it was.

I had Sam, race us to school the next morning.

"Slow down!" Caroline kept shouting.

We ignored her, as we kept the same speed. The speedometer read 95 miles, per hour. So, I didn't see what she was complaining about.

We got to school, with more than enough time to spare. I raced out the car, with my bag in my hand. As I walked, I felt several eyes on me. I ignored them, as I pushed through the doors, and began scanning the halls for Annabelle.

It wasn't long, before I did. She was walking out of the office, and headed in the opposite direction.

What would I say? Should I trick her, into telling me something? Only question was, how? But, what would I trick her into saying? What could I say?

"Hey Annabelle," I said, when I caught up.

She walked a bit longer, before she finally stopped, and turned to face me.

"Hello Dillan," She said.

We started walking again.

"Did you hear that a girl disappeared at lunch yesterday. Apparently, she walked out of the building and never came back," I asked her, edging a bit in my voice.

"Really, I didn't know," She replied. "Has anyone seen her since?"

"No, not yet," I replied. "It's just weird."

"It is," She agreed.

" Well, my class is this way, so I'll see you later," She said.

I watched her, turn down the hall, until she was out of sight. Dang it! I had no luck. But, I could tell that she was in denial. Either that, or the fear she showed yesterday, hadn't worn off. It could even be both.

I turned left, and headed upstairs. My suspicions were not as strong in class, as they became, the next time I saw her. I looked over at her lunch table, again.

The blond one appeared mad. She was practically yelling at Annabelle. It seemed like she was trying to keep calm, without attacking anyone.

Maybe, it had to do with this morning. Maybe, they think Annabelle told me something, she wasn't supposed to.

I watched as the blonde's expression loosened a bit. She looked like she was apologizing for something. But, what could it be? I turned around.

"She's still in denial, isn't she?" Sam guessed.

I looked up, to find both him and Caroline looking at me.

Instead of saying anything, I just nodded. Caroline groaned.

"What else can we do?" Sam asked impatiently.

"Geez, I don't have all the answers," I said to myself.

"Well, they obviously know we may or may not know something. So, they're probably trying to avoid us," Caroline suggested.

"We need a plan, and we need it now!" Sam declared.

Only question was, how?

Annabelle was smart. She managed to avoid me, over the next couple of days. None of her family was ever alone. They would stay side-by-side, always. It was weird.

People began mistaking them, for all morphing into one person. But, the talk of the Jones Family was much less now. As was, Charlotte's disappearance. People believed she dropped out, moved and a whole bunch of other stories.

But, I knew better. At least, now we did.

Emily and Caroline found her body buried in the forest, last night. We decided to keep quiet about it for a while. I'd give the police a few more weeks, before luring them to the body.

And for some reason, I was beginning to suspect the Jones Family, a lot less.

According to the newspapers, several murders have occurred. But any victim, turned up during school. And I saw them all. Besides, they would have been stopped, if they tried leaving school.

My mind was like a roller coaster. One day, suspicions were up. The next, down. It was too confusing, and far too much to keep up with.

The next day had been especially difficult. And worse of all, the Jones were not at school. The table they normally sat at was empty, with no sign of anyone being there recently.

That gave me nothing to worry about, as far as today. It was almost disappointing. When I got to the Computer Lab, still hoping Annabelle, would come in, She didn't.

"Starting Monday, you will be split up into groups of four, to work on a project,"

That was all I heard Mrs. Anderson say.

Wait. Four? That gave me an idea! I took a piece of paper from my binder, and wrote

_"Meet me outside this classroom, after school."_

I folded it, and passed it to Caroline. She passed it back, a moment later.

_"Why?"_

"You'll see," I mouthed to her.

She just nodded and turned away.

Later on after school, she showed up outside the classroom, five minutes after I did.

"Ok, Dillan. What's up? Sam's waiting for us." She asked impatiently.

"Follow me," I said, as I turned the knob, and walked in.

"Mrs. Anderson is not in here," She said, pointing out the obvious.

I rolled my eyes, and slowly approached the teacher's computer.

"I'm aware of that," I said, as I began to type. I pulled up a document, labeled 6th Period Group Projects, and found our names.

"Those are our project groups!" She exclaimed.

"Exactly," I said, my eyes not leaving the screen.

Caroline and I were labeled under Group 4. I removed the two names below ours, switching them, with Annabelle and the blond girl, whose name appeared to be Elizabeth.

"Why are you putting them, in our group?" She asked impatiently.

I rolled my eyes, again. She still wasn't catching on.

"If we work with them, maybe. Just maybe, they could tell us what we need to know," I said, beginning to smile.

"You're a genius!" She exclaimed.

I turned to her. She was now smiling. This would work. It had to!

Chapter 7:Suspisions

The Jones family didn't show up for the rest of the week. Not at lunch, in class, or even the halls. And, more killings were happening each day.

This could have them written all over this. What if it was the Jones? Maybe, it was. After school, we scanned the city. Unfortunately, we didn't find anything. But, I could sense that they had been here. There wasn't one place that they hadn't been. But, the question was, when? How long? And, what were they doing and why?

Things weren't piecing together fast enough. And, I had to figure out how to speed them up. I had spent the weekend, investigating each scene, with Sam.

We even checked Charlotte's body, again. The Jones Family was somehow, connected to all this. Maybe. Then again, maybe they weren't. They could even be only part of the problem. But even in that case, I knew one thing for sure. They had to be stopped.

Monday morning came. And, I was tired and exhausted. A whole entire hunting week left me with about five hours of sleep. And, it was really getting to me.

I tried not to fall asleep in class, which had been quite unsuccessful. Each teacher, had to wake me up, at least twice. I was happy, when lunch came, so I could nap on the table.

Before, I had gotten the chance to drown off; I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up, at Caroline and Sam.

"What!" I asked them, slightly annoyed.

This had better be something important. Otherwise, it could wait, until later.

"We can commence with the plan. They're back," Caroline, said, with a smile.

I turned my head, to see that she was right. All four of them, were seated. And, they were all talking. But, not one of them ever looked this way.

In fact, their eyes never left their table. And, they all appeared to be in deep conversation. Only question was, what about?

"What do you guys suppose they're talking about?" Sam whispered, so only Caroline and I would hear.

Usually, I would have an answer, or at least a theory. But instead, I just shrugged, and put my head down, trying to doze off.

"Dillan!" Sam shouted, before I knew it.

My head flew up, to see people starting to leave the cafeteria. I bolted from my seat, and rushed to class.

Annabelle, and Elizabeth hadn't arrived yet. Caroline, and I sat down. I was staring at my computer screen, while she stared at the doorway, waiting for them to show up.

When I looked up from my screen for the first time, they were here.

"Our plan is a go," Caroline whispered evilly.

I nodded, keeping my eyes on them, as they went to the back of the room, and sat down. Class then started, and I turned back around, to listen to the teacher.

She was explaining the project again. The one, we would be starting on today.

"Ok. I will be coming around, and giving each of you a number card. You'll then need are then, to find your number is labeled, and you will find your group," Mrs. Anderson explained, as she grabbed a box from off her desk, and began checking her list.

We were given our numbers. As soon as we saw our own, we held them up for the other to see.

"Four," I said.

"Of course," She agreed, as she turned around to Annabelle and Elizabeth, who had just gotten their cards.

Four. Both cards said. But, little did they know.

Caroline and I exchanged glances, before we got up to join them. They were already standing by the card, as we got closer to them. I could tell Annabelle was trying to put on an act. She was clearly not happy about this. So, I decided to play along.

"Hey Annabelle," I said, when we stopped.

"Hey Dillan," She said.

That had to be the fakest smile, I've ever seen.

"I'm Caroline," Caroline said with a smile.

She was putting much effort into pretending to be happy. The whole, "fake nice" routine, was working better for her.

"I'm Elizabeth," Elizabeth replied.

"Nice to meet you," Caroline said.

My eyes were now on Annabelle, who was looking down. Then, she faced Elizabeth.

"I have an idea. Two of us design the pages, and the other two could write what we'll say," Caroline suggested, as she opened up a document on the computer.

"That's a good idea. And, I already have a perfect idea for the backgrounds," Elizabeth said, as she sat down next to her.

" Excellent, and I know a way to add some great special effects," Caroline added.

The two of them, raced to a computer on the other side of the room, leaving Annabelle and me.

"Guess we're typing," I said to her. She turned to face me.

"Guess so," She agreed as she started toward a computer and sat down.

I sat down next to her, and began to type.

Through the reflection of the computer screen, I could see her.

And, I saw how close she was sitting. She appeared to be focused on what I wrote.

I couldn't help, but catch her hair, nearly touching me.

"Her hair smells so good," I thought, as I continued to type.

"How does this sound?" I asked, when he stopped. She stared at the screen, as she carefully read each line.

"That's really good," She said rather impressed. Now, a real smile formed on her face. Through the reflection of the screen, I saw her looking at me. I turned to face her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, me, as she continued to smile.

"I don't know," I said, now smiling.

She looked away in an instant, and began to type.

"I have an idea of what to add," She said as she continued to type, her eyes never leaving the screen.

"Hey guys, how's everything going?" I suddenly heard Caroline, ask us, from over my shoulder.

"Great," We said at the same time.

"Great," She said smiling, and walked away, seeming almost confused.

I could tell that she wasn't having any luck either. She'll definitely be upset with me.

When she finally stopped typing, I spoke.

"I know what to add next," I said.

She jerked her hand away from the keyboard. I had reached for the keyboard too fast. So, it hadn't given her enough time to take her hand off. I slowly looked down to find my hand touching hers.

Looking up at her, I noticed her looking down at our hands. She noticed too.

It was a bit hard to feel anything, since she had on gloves. So, I didn't feel her skin. But, still. The touch seemed, rather weird. But at the same time, it was almost pleasant.

My only question now was. What was she thinking? Days passed, and by Wednesday, the project was done. That was good, because it gave me more time to focus on more important matters. More and more, people were being killed.

And, that only made Annabelle's family, seem more and more suspicious to me. I thought about this. She wouldn't confess to anything. At least not while she was with her family. But, what if she was alone?

"Dillan, get down here!" Emily shouted, from downstairs. I bounced off my bed, and raced down the stairs.

"I think we've figured it out!" Caroline exclaimed.

"Figured out what?" I asked confused.

I wasn't following any of this. What had they figured out?

"After examining all the crime scenes," Sam began.

"And, looking much more carefully at Charlotte's body," Caroline continued.

" It had to have been a vampire," Sam finished, whispering the last word.

"And?" I asked them.

My eyes wandering to each of them, before they locked on Caroline.

"The Jones. Annabelle. Her family," Caroline finally said, with a sighed.

I froze. Annabelle was a vampire.

"I think, your right. Only question now is, how we make her admit it?" I asked them, staring up at the ceiling.

"Dillan, you have to get her alone, and away from her family. She'll listen to you, no doubt. As far as I can tell, Annabelle will listen to anything you say. You can lure her into the forest. She will never see it coming," Caroline explained.

"How?" I asked.

"Hang on. I'll be back," She said, before turning around, and headed upstairs.

"How will that prove she's a vampire?" I asked, suddenly confused again.

"Fight her. She will fight back," Sam assured me, looking over at Jeff and Emily.

"Are you sure this will work?" Jeff asked, sounding a bit concerned.

His eyes were now locked on me.

"Yes. I have to stop her. Before she stops me," I said, with my eyes now on the doorway. Caroline was coming back, with a piece of paper in her hand.

She walked passed us, putting the paper into my hands, and went to sit on the sofa.

"Leave that note on her desk, tomorrow," was all she said.

I read through the note:

_"Annabelle, if you aren't busy tomorrow, would you like to hang out with me? -Dillan"_

Now, I knew this plan could not fail!

Caroline, and I were in class before anyone else. I grabbed a pen from my bag, and quickly wrote Annabelle's name across the top.

As I put the pen away, Caroline rushed to Annabelle's seat to place the note on her table.

She was sitting back down, by the time people started coming in. My eyes stayed fixed on the doorway until Annabelle came.

When she got to her seat, she spotted the note. I watched her examine it for a moment.

Annabelle looked confused, as her eyes were on Elizabeth, and then back to the note.

She put it in her bag, unread, and sat down. I never found out, whether or not she had read it. Or let alone, figure out it was from me.

Since our group's project was already done, the four of us were the only ones, who didn't leave our seats.

My attention went from Annabelle, to Caroline, to my computer, and kept that same rotation. But, Annabelle kept her eyes on her screen, still having that same confused look.

"Did she read the note?" Jeff asked me later that night.

All five of us, were gathered in the living room. Jeff and Caroline on the loveseat, while I sat on the couch, with Emily. Sam was pacing back, and forth for a bit, before he sat criss-cross on the floor.

"I don't think so. She saw it, but I never actually saw her open it. In fact, after she put it in her bag, nothing," I sighed. Sam put his head down for a moment. Then, he turned to look at Caroline. Then Jeff, before he turned to face Emily and me.

"You need to find out tomorrow, if she saw it. Otherwise, just ask her," He said, facing his head down again. He only appeared to be half paying attention. I questioned where the other half of his thoughts had taken him.

By the next day, I had a theory. She may have seen it. But, it may have been too much for her, and ended up scaring her off. I went along with that, especially when I went to lunch later that day, and Annabelle wasn't there.

The other three were seated, but none of them spoke, and looked like they were trying to avoid making eye contact with each other.

I continued watching them, waiting to see if Annabelle would show up. She didn't. Her family now, appeared worried and scared. And, it may have something to do with her. Had something happened? I don't know. Maybe. Just, maybe.

"What's with them?" I heard Sam say, behind me.

I turned back around. Clearly, I wasn't the only one to notice.

"Annabelle's gone," Caroline pointed out.

I rolled my eyes.

"Really," I sarcastically remarked in my head.

"I understand that. What I don't understand is why," Sam said impatiently.

"It could have something to do with my note," I briefly suggested.

"Maybe. Who knows," Sam said, as he started to stand up.

Just then, the bell rang. I sprinted from my seat, and headed for the door, with Caroline following close behind.

When I got to the classroom, I nearly jumped. There was Annabelle. She must have been here the whole time. Was she mad at her family? Maybe, it was about something else?

She almost looked, sad. It may have something to do with her family. It probably did. I sat down in my seat, opening an IM Box.

_Did you see my note? Do you want to hang out? _I typed, before clicking "Send".

I turned around, to look over at her. A few seconds later, she looked over her screen at me. She smiled, and faced her screen, and started to type a response.

_"When, Where?" _The message said.

I typed back, as fast as I could and said,_ "Silver Creek Meadow 7pm"_

I clicked the "Send" button again, before my attention went back to her.

She looked over, and nodded, before directing her attention back to the screen. I smiled. Excellent.

Caroline tapped on my shoulder. I turned to her, and nodded. She smiled evilly, before facing the front of the room. I suddenly, felt a smile on my face, too. I was becoming more and more like Caroline everyday.

From then, the rest of the afternoon flew by.

"She seemed angry at her family, in the parking lot," Sam said, as I was headed for the door.

They had been talking about Annabelle, and the drama with her family all afternoon. Luckily, soon all of that would stop.

"We'll meet up with you later!" Caroline called from the kitchen.

This was it. I turned the doorknob, and was out the door. The hunt had begun!

Chapter 8: Hunting Game

Annabelle:

Before I headed off, I snuck back through my window. I threw on a black tank top, and put on my dark purple jacket.

I looked up at the clock, hanging over the closet door.

"6:45pm". It was time. I took a quick look at myself through the mirror, before I flew back out the window.

I stopped, when I was nearly there. I looked down at my watch.

"7:00pm" I thought.

Finding Dillan was not hard. It wasn't until that I saw the meadow that I found him. He was sitting on a rock, waiting for me.

He appeared as if he was thinking. But, thinking about what? If I were to ask my family, this question, they would most likely respond,

"How he plans to kill you!"

The thoughts of those words running through my mind, gave me chills. I shook my head, pushing that thought far from my head.

There were no reasons to fear. Although, I could name 100 reasons why I should proceed, and also, why I should go home. I was going to proceed.

"Hey," I said, as I slowly made my way through the branches.

"Hello," He said, with a small smile on his face.

Dillan got up from the rock, and slowly approached me.

"I almost thought, you wouldn't come," He said, now just a foot away from me.

"Why wouldn't I?" I said now smiling.

We stood in silence for a moment. Then, he turned around.

"Let's go for a walk," He suggested.

"Ok," I agreed, and began to walk, with him right behind me.

The forest seemed so much different. For one thing, it was dark. And second, I never had been here with anybody else, except my family. Knowing, that we haven't spoken for nearly 24 hours, got me thinking that I was the reason for that.

"Annabelle?" I heard Dillan say.

"Oh, what?"

He must have figured out, something was up. It was like he could smell my fear. He was kind of like a mind reader.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"Yeah," I lied.

It was like he saw right through me. Because, I could tell he wasn't buying it.

"Are you sure?" He asked again, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Yeah," I said again, this time as convincing as I could be.

Dillan still didn't look convinced. But, he let it go. We walked in a circle, until we were back to the meadow. I sat in the grass, while he sat on the rock, right next to me.

"So," He started to say.

I waited for him to say more, but he didn't.

"I was just wondering," He started to say.

"Why did your family move here?"

I looked up at him. He was staring at me, as if my answer was vitally important. That is, if I really had done.

"Well," I started to say.

Something overwhelmed me. It was a smell so strong. I couldn't quite point it out. It was not a human. And it was definitely, not an animal. This was it! This was what we had been waiting for. Something that we knew was going to happen. And, the time had come.

"I'll be back," I said, getting up.

"Wait. Where are you going?" He asked.

Dillan was now standing right in front of me.

"I lost something back there. My phone," I lied, trying to push myself through him.

He stopped me, whenever I tried to get through. Wow, he's strong.

"How about I go look for it?" He offered.

I stared at him blankly for a moment. Why did he want me to stay put? Where was he really going? And, what did he plan on doing? Instead of bothering to ask any of these questions, I just said,

"Alright."

"I'll be back," He said, with a mysterious smile on his face.

And then, he was off. As soon as he was out of sight, so was I, in the other direction.

I had to loophole around the forest, in order to get where I was going. The smell, rushed passed me, again. I was getting closer.

Finally, I did.

I stayed hidden in the bushes. But, I could hear whispering on the other side. So, I peaked over the bushes to find not one but two vampires.

One was a guy. And the other was a girl. The guy had short blond hair.

And, the girl had wavy black hair.

They faced my direction, but did not appear to notice me. Their attention was on something, or someone else.

"He was such a handsome boy," The girl said, as she bent down next to what appeared to be a dead body. But, who was it?

"It had to be done, Stephanie. You know that," The boy said calmly.

He was standing on the other side of the body, his back now to me.

"Well Robert, he was being difficult," Stephanie agreed, a wicked smile now forming on her lips.

Wait a minute. I recognized that body. It was the same boy from school. He was Charlotte's friend. He was talking about us the first day. And, he had been the next victim. But, He didn't deserve it. Nobody did. Not even Charlotte. The guilt was coming back again.

"I can't believe the Jones, actually believe they can stop us!" Robert chuckled.

His back was no longer facing us. But was he said, was now staring me straight in the face. I would show them!

"How would they even find us?" Stephanie said with a giggle.

"Maybe, if you weren't so loud, it would be so much easier for you," I shouted, stepping out of the bushes.

"Well, well, well. Annabelle Jones," Stephanie said. I watched her slowly get up from the ground.

She slowly started towards me. I slowly started to back away. Why didn't I keep quiet? Well, it didn't matter now because it was too late to take it back now.

"It's so nice to see you again," Robert said.

Both of them were now smile wickedly. And, now both headed for me.

I was trying to figure out what to do. Let alone, what they would do. They were now closing in. So, I jumped without thinking.

When I reached the ground, they now stood 30 feet from me.

Stephanie raced towards me. But, I jumped up again. Only this time, Robert was ahead of me. He tackled me to the ground.

I lifted my feet up, to push him off me, as soon as I had hit the ground. He flew to another part of the forest.

I didn't have enough time to get up, before Stephanie dived into me, pushing me farther into the ground. She didn't stop, until I hit my head on a tree.

I was suddenly, up and fighting her. Only question now was, where Robert went?

I thought about this, while I grabbed Stephanie by her wrist, and shoved her into the ground.

As I panted and coughed, I failed to realize that she had jumped on me.

"Get off!" I screamed, before I threw her into a tree.

The tree didn't hold her for long. Soon, the branches broke, and she was on the ground. But, she didn't appear to be paying attention to fighting me, any longer.

"Robert!" She screamed.

My eyes watched her, run over to the bushes. There he was. But, he did not appear alive, anymore. His eyes were closed, he did not move, and the air smelled like vampire blood. He was covered in it.

The question was now, who did it? It couldn't have been me. Someone else was here. Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared in the trees. Its attention was focused on Stephanie.

"You'll be next!" A dark voice said.

She was up, and on her feet. She stopped walking when she was half an inch away, from the figure.

"So, it's a tie, between me and her!" She exclaimed, now pointing in my direction.

I couldn't believe this. How did any of this involve me?

"Wh-What?" I managed to choke out.

My eyes were now over to Stephanie. She was staring at me in a way that made me look clueless. Was I supposed to be aware of this?

"Oh, please. Why else do you think he brought you here?" She sneered, before she bent down to pick up, Robert's dead body, and vanished.

My attention, was now back on the dark figure, nearly standing before me. Everything had suddenly fallen into place for me. Why I'm here? How Robert died? Something, I should have seen coming. Something, my family warned me about. Something I could not believe. Not until, now.

"Di-Di-Dillan," My voice broke off.

The figure said nothing. He appeared to be thinking, about what to do, next. Well, I could answer that for him.

I raced into the branches. He did not appear to see it coming. I now, had him pinned to the ground.

Dillan pushed me off, and sent me flying, and banging into a tree. Then, I landed onto the ground.

"My family was right; about everything! You used me! I've just been your little hunting game, this whole time. Ever since, we met!" I screamed, as I got up.

I was angry. Furious. And, I was pretty sure my voice had just ripped through two octaves. But, I didn't care. I wanted to rip him to shreds!

"Smart. For a vampire," He said, approaching me.

Now, he had done it. I lunged myself at him, aiming for his throat. He moved so quickly, I did not see it coming. Let, alone this.

I was now being shoved against a giant boulder. My head banged so hard against it, I heard an echo.

"Now, your family won't be able to save you," He said with an evil chuckle.

I moaned and moaned. But, it did not help.

"How could you? I thought, maybe, that you," I whispered, drowning off, as my eyes closed.

"What? That I wanted to be friends? Please. How could I? You're inhuman. A dangerous threat to the world," He said laughing.

He was making a fool of me. I was feeling weak. And, that's exactly how he wanted me to feel. But, I wasn't going to let him!

My eyes shot open, and with as much force as I could, I pushed him away, sending him backwards, into a tree. An evil smile, now formed on my face, as his expression, turned furious.

"The only problem with the world is you!" I shouted.

I was just about to tackle him out of that tree. But, something sped passed me. Who was it? I wasn't sure. But, they were here to help me. I watched as they attacked Dillan. It was hard to point out who it was, though.

"Stay away from my sister!" I heard someone shout.

Wait a minute. I knew that voice. Peter?

"Annabelle, come on!" I suddenly heard behind me, as two sets of arms picked me up, and started luring me away.

I sighed in relieve, to recognize it was Elizabeth and Danielle!

"Let's get out of here!" Danielle exclaimed.

We were now running through the trees. But then, Elizabeth was tackled down. It was Caroline. As Danielle and I got deeper into the forest, I saw Amanda and Kevin fighting Dillan's parents, Jeff and Emily.

Suddenly, Danielle threw me on her back, and took off. Luckily, we made it back to the house a lot quicker than I had expected.

"Get inside, and stay there!" She ordered, before racing off.

I obeyed, and headed inside. I went to the back porch and sat down on the floor, so nobody would see me. It had felt like an hour or two, before the fight sounded over.

"Ever go near Annabelle again, you'll need a breathing tube to stay alive," Peter threatened, so low, it was almost frightening.

Not to mention, that part of me was feeling relieved. If Peter hadn't gotten there when he did, Dillan might have killed me. He was the reason that another part of me was feeling something else. I felt hurt. Betrayed. What would I do? Could my family ever forgive me? Just then, there was a knock at the door. I looked over to find, everyone standing there.

"Annabelle," Amanda said.

"I am so sorry. Beyond sorry. If I never had gone," I started to say. Kevin interrupted me.

"It's ok, Annabelle. None of us are upset. We had to make sure you were alright."

"Yeah. I mean, the only reason we didn't stop you was, because we thought he could be different. That, maybe, he wasn't what we thought. But, he is. He had us all fooled," Elizabeth chimed in.

I looked at each of them. They all smiled at me, which didn't stop me from doing so too. I got up, and approached them.

"Thank you guys. I can always count on you," I said.

They all pulled me into their arms. This had been the safest I had felt all night. But, now it was personal. Dillan wanted to kill me. His whole family, wanted to. But not, if we got them first. For, the war had just begun!

Chapter 9:Revenge

Making it through the weekend wasn't exactly, easy. My thoughts kept flashing back to Friday. Dillan tried to kill me. And, I had to do something about it.

And to think I was actually starting to like him. When we first met, he didn't act this way. But our whole "friendship" turned out to be nothing, except based on lies. He didn't care about me. And no way, did he like me.

All he wanted was my whole family dead. Even me. I had my mind set on one thing, and one thing only. Revenge. How? That was the question. I gave this some serious thought, on the way to school.

That morning, I started to make a list.

"How to make Dillan Miserable" I labeled it.

Kill him

Kill someone in his family

Make him suffer

Destroy something, close to him

I had the others read over my list at lunch.

"So, what do you guys think?" I asked, as they carefully examined the paper.

"Hmm," Peter said, as he read each bullet.

"I wish we could do all these things," Danielle said, with a smile.

I would have rolled my eyes, but instead I couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"What do you think Elizabeth?" She asked.

She didn't respond. I looked over at her. She didn't appear to be paying attention. In fact, she wasn't even facing this way.

I followed her gaze. She was looking at the Bellard's. Sam was the only one, looking this way. His look, basically said, "One wrong move, will get you a fork in the neck!"

My attention was now on Elizabeth. She portrayed the same look. I could tell how much she wanted them dead. And, she would if she could, right now.

But, that would have to mean, killing everyone else in the room. And, that would be a bad idea. My eyes were now on Dillan. His eyes were on Elizabeth, before flashing to mine.

He seemed much angrier than Sam and Elizabeth put together. But, nowhere near mine. My stare was almost enough to make him fear me, instead of the other way around.

I slowly turned away, to face the others. They were all looking down.

"What should we do?" I finally asked. They all exchanged glances, before facing me. And all of them, just shrugged.

I groaned, before dropping my head on the table. He had to suffer. I had to make him, suffer. Make him miserable. Wish, for death. But, I was out of ideas. And, my list was now going against me.

None of these options seemed possible. But, I could not go on with this forever, let alone graduation, less than 4 months away.

My mind was spinning. I managed to snap out of it, when the bell rang. Everyone else was already standing, and waiting for me.

I was up, but my legs were not responding. Elizabeth helped me into the hall, and up the stairs. My legs were awake by then, as I walked into the room, and took my seat.

I didn't even bother to look up. My gaze switched off between Elizabeth and my computer.

"Alright. Good afternoon!" Mrs. Anderson exclaimed, after the bell rang, and everyone was seated.

"Today, we are going to be presenting our projects!"

My head snapped up. Shoot. No way I could stand next to him, without "strangulation" running through my head. From there, not even Elizabeth would be able to stop me.

"Ms. Jones," I heard Mrs. Anderson say. I was snapped out of my thoughts. I looked at her, as she looked back.

"How about we start with your group?" She suggested.

Her hand gestured to the front of the room, trying to encourage me. I stared blankly at her, for a moment. And, then I nodded, slowly getting up.

Elizabeth stood up, and followed me to the front. Caroline and Dillan were already there.

Caroline was typing on the laptop, trying to open up the project. Dillan was leaning against the back wall, staring at the rest of the class.

I leaned against another wall, keeping my distance. Elizabeth turned off the lights, and went over to the projector screen.

After the first slide flashed on, the rest of us joined Caroline. The two of them stood on the opposite aside of the cart from us.

I grabbed the remote that was next to the laptop and pressed the button. The slide changed. Then, I spoke carefully.

"For the limited time I have been here, I have seen enough of the school, to feel like I have been here for four years. High school has a lot to come with it."

I clicked the button again, to change the slide. Dillan stepped forward, speaking a bit faster than I did.

"For example, friends. There are good things that come with them. But, other times, there are bad things. Like, when certain "friends" are not exactly honest with you. And, pretend to be something they are not."

He turned to face me, as he spoke the last part. Now, this was personal. I stepped forward, and spoke before he could say anything more.

" Well, maybe the "friend", had a good reason. And sometimes, they're not the only ones who lie. Especially, when the other one is too busy invading the other "friends" life," I said, as my voice started to rise.

"Well, no one asked for your opinion, now did they?" He said, now getting as angry as me.

"No one cared what you thought from the start!" I exclaimed.

"Ok, guys stop!" Elizabeth exclaimed, putting herself between us.

"Stay out of this!" He screamed.

And then, Dillan elbowed her in the stomach. Hard. So hard, that she ended up the ground. She started to moan and sounded like she was having trouble breathing. I was now frozen where I stood.

" You're unbelievable!" I screamed at him. Then, I turned to face Mrs. Anderson.

"Can I take her to the nurse?" I asked her.

By now, I felt calm. But, I felt like a hammer hit me hard, sending me into a wall. I could feel her pain.

"Yes," She replied. "Dillan, to the office, now! Caroline you may take a seat."

Caroline nodded, and sat down quietly. She put her head down.

I helped Elizabeth off the ground, and wrapped her arm around my neck. It took a while or so, before we reached the nurse's office. I help her to a bed, and she lied down. Her eyes were now closed.

"What happened here?" I heard from the doorway. I turned to find, the nurse rushing to Elizabeth's bed.

"Hit in the stomach," I simply replied, keeping my eyes on her.

"Are you alright, dear?" She asked, with a concerned, and worried look in her eyes.

"It hurts," Elizabeth moaned, as her eyes slowly opened.

"I'll be back," The nurse said, before racing out the door.

It wasn't long before, Knock. Knock. Knock.

My attention was on the doorway, again. Mrs. Anderson stood there, very concerned.

"Are you alright, Elizabeth?" She asked, as her eyes were on me for a moment, Then, she looked over at Elizabeth.

"Yeah," Elizabeth whispered.

"Someone is here to see you," She said, and stepped out of the room.

"Go on in," I heard her call.

Dillan slowly walked in, stopping at the bed.

"I'm sorry," He muttered. Then, he turned around, and walked out, not looking back.

"He doesn't mean it," Elizabeth said, speaking up.

I turned to face her. She was now sitting up on the bed, with her hand leaning against the wall.

"Of course, he doesn't mean it. What a freak," I muttered.

She nodded in agreement.

"You know he did it on purpose," She said, now looking up at the ceiling.

I nodded, as I heard the nurse come back in.

"Hear you go, dear," She said handing Elizabeth an ice pack, before walking out again.

"How are you feeling? Does it still hurt?" I asked.

She looked at me again. Only this time, she was smiling. Why? I was very confused. After what Dillan had just did to her, how could she be smiling?

"It never hurt," She giggled.

"What?" I asked, still very confused.

I felt like my legs had gone numb. What did she mean by, it never hurt?

" I thought I was pretty convincing. If everyone thinks I'm hurt, they'll end up feeling sorry for me. And, they'll turn against Dillan," She said as she kept her eyes on me, and a smile on her face. I watched as Elizabeth looked down at the ice pack in her hand. Then, she looked back up at me.

It took a moment for all this to sink in. Then, I began to smile.

"Excellent! Now the question is, how to proceed?"

That was the question. What now?

"We have made him suffer, so what next?" I asked later that night, as I continued to pace back and forth.

"Something bad. He will be sorry. Very Sorry. Especially, after what we tried to do to Elizabeth," Peter exclaimed.

He put his arm around her, pulling her close. I was just as mad as him. That left me, with one option.

I planned to end this, now. I ran into the kitchen, and dug through several drawers, until I found what I was looking for. A dagger. Perfect!

I raced passed them, wrapping it with a cloth, and placed it in my pocket. Danielle passed me, and now stood guarding the door.

"Where are you going?" She demanded.

"Now, he is going to suffer," I replied, patting my hand against my pocket. She stood there, silent for a moment. Then, slowly moved away from the door.

"Just be careful," She warned. I turned to face her. My hand was turning the knob.

"I will," I promised, before turning my back to her, and racing off into the night.

I was slowed down, getting there. The weather was coming down hard. The thunder kept on distracting me, and the rain was beating down hard against my body.

But, not even the weather would stop me. I had a mission, and I will complete it. I roared over the thunder, as I continued running. It felt like it had been hours, before I reached my destination. I stared at the outside, for a moment.

It was quiet. I flew up, to the windows searching each one. The last window, I came by, there he was.

The room was dark, besides the porch light slightly shining through the window. He was lying in the bed, that was somewhere in the middle of the room.

Dillan faced the opposite direction. So, I could not see his face. I put my hands, on the window, and lightly pushed up, just enough for me to fit through.

My eyes never left him. This was my plan. Kill him. And then, kill his family one by one.

As I started to slowly approach him, he suddenly moved. I froze where I stood. Did he wake up?

Had he caught me? He was perfectly still, now. Dillan was now lying on his back. The blankets were as far as his waist, around him.

I stared at him, in disgust. What a cold-blooded, cold-hearted creature. If he ever had a heart, he no longer would.

I looked down at my pocket, and slowly took out the dagger, and unwrapped the cloth from it. This would soon be over. I raised my right hand. My hand, then dropped, but stopped just an inch from piercing his heart.

It was like someone, or something was holding me back. I looked around to double check. Nothing. I turned back to him. What was going on? I wanted to kill him.

It had to be done, didn't it? Part of me, said yes. But, the other was telling me something else.

Was he mean't to be alive? And if so, why? He may have a connection to the world, in someway. And, who knows what it was.

But, I raised the dagger, about to drop it again. This time I heard,

_"What if this is a bad idea?"_

That was true.

_"What if something bad ends up happening?"_

That was true, too. This was all so confusing. For, I felt as If I had entered one of those parallel dimensions, where nothing made sense, and everything, that was surrounding you, had little meaning to it. It would feel like there was another world that you never knew existed.

And different worlds, mean't complications. And complications could affect not just yours, but several other lives. It could even cost the lives of dozens, or even just a collision where two worlds would collide, only to cause everything else to fall apart.

I slowly backed away. For I knew, he could not die. Not now, at least. For, the reason still remained a mystery. He would have to be alive.

But, as I left his room, there was one thing that was clear to me. The more I wanted to kill him, the angrier I got, knowing I couldn't. I would never be anything more to him, than his enemy.

Chapter 10: Enemies

"What was happening to me?" I kept asking myself, over and over again.

I was sitting on a bench, just a block from the Bellard's house. The streetlights were shining down on me. And, a car would pass by, from time to time.

My feet were seated on the bench, as I was resting my chin on them. And, my arms were wrapped tightly around my legs. But aside from car engines, it was dead silent.

And it only made the night drone on and on. By the time the sun was beginning to rise, I headed home. I pushed the door open, and closed it behind me, before I turned around.

Everyone was standing there. They were all waiting patiently. I knew why. They must have been waiting to hear the news. And, were they going to be disappointed.

"Well," Danielle edged.

"What happened?" Elizabeth jumped in.

I slowly looked around the room, at each of them. One-by-one. Then, my head dropped in shame. Elizabeth and Danielle groaned in unison.

"Annabelle," Peter moaned.

I could see his feet, close to me. I felt his hands on my shoulders. Slowly, I lifted my head to look at him. Peter stared into my eyes. He seemed both disappointed, and curious at the same time.

"I am sorry. I had the chance, and I failed," I said ashamed. I hung my head again.

Peter grabbed both my wrists, and pulled me into his arms.

"It's alright Annabelle," He assured me. Then, he released me, as the others crowded around us.

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked, as she ran her hand across my back.

"I. I don't know," I answered honestly. My eyes were now faced out the window.

"It's ok. We know how you feel. It's not who you are. You don't want to do anything to anybody, whether or not they deserve it," Danielle said, as she put her arms around me.

Elizabeth's hand dropped. She now wrapped in Peter's arms, as she turned to face us.

"I know. I thought I could. I wanted to. But, it turned out to be easier said than done," I sighed. My head was down, again. Had I let them down? I knew they wanted him dead as much as I did.

"Don't worry Annabelle. You are not alone," Amanda said.

I looked up to find Amanda standing on the other side of me. One of her hands was placed over my left shoulder. The other was over my heart.

And as I looked at them all, smiling at me, I gave in. They are my family. We were a family. We will stand strong together, now and forever.

We got to school a bit earlier than usual, the next day. As we were getting out of the car, I could tell that something was up.

"Guys, we have a problem," Danielle said darkly.

I looked over in the same direction, as her. And, I figured it out. It was Dillan, with the other two. They were standing by the front doors, in a row. All three of their eyes were on us.

From the left, Caroline's eyes were on Elizabeth and Peter. On the other side, to the right, was the boy I believed his name was Sam, his eyes on Danielle.

And then, there was Dillan. He stood between them both. And his eyes were on me.

"Let's go," I said.

I slowly began to walk away. My eyes never left Dillan's. His never left mine. My attention was focused on them. What did they want? Besides, wanting us dead.

I felt no sign of fear in them. It did not matter if they knew about Dillan's "almost" death or not. In fact, I hoped they knew. It was their sign. A warning.

As I was closing in on them, I could now hear the others, surrounding me. I turned my head, to the left. Peter and Elizabeth were there, not taking their eyes of the Bellard's.

Then, I turned my head to the right. There was Danielle, her attention on me. My attention was then, back on Dillan. We finally reached them. Both families were now standing just a foot from each other.

"Which one of you invaded our house last night?" Sam demanded.

His eyes flickered to each one of us, before stopping on Caroline.

"Why do you think it was us?" Peter asked. "You could be just delusional. Wouldn't be the first time." We all smirked.

"Look, we know it was one of you freaks of nature. Who?" Caroline nearly shouted.

Something had to be done. I stepped forward.

"I did," I said unashamed. They should be a little less mad, and a bit more worried. That is, if they knew the purpose of my "visit" last night.

"You!" Caroline screamed.

"You tried to kill me!" Dillan exclaimed. "I found a dagger on the floor in my room, this morning."

"You are smart. For someone like you," I quoted him sourly, emphasizing the last word. I still could not stop thinking about what he had said, the other night in the meadow.

Dillan was furious. But, he did not say anything. Caroline stepped forward.

"You little," She started to say.

Peter was in front of me so fast, that I did not see him move.

"Keep away from her. One more move, and your head will snap!" Peter threatened.

"I am scared!" Dillan replied sarcastically. He waved his hands around, and began to shake. I stepped forward, so I was side by side with Peter.

I concentrated, before I released the lowest, deadliest growl at him. His expression changed a bit. He looked a bit terrified. But, refused to let me see it.

"You should be," I whispered. I gave him a dirty look, before I passed them, shoving into him as hard as I could.

The others followed behind, silently.

"Ugh," I heard Danielle say. I turned around, to face her.

"What happened?" I asked urgently. She leaned to the ground, to pick up a crumbled piece of paper, with a note attached with string.

"This was aimed at my head!" She grumbled.

"Real mature," Elizabeth called over her shoulder, as she pushed the front doors open. The rest of us, followed behind.

Danielle dropped the paper ball into her bag, disgusted.

"I'll see you guys later," She said, as she headed off in the other direction, without looking back.

"What now?" I thought. Why would they chuck a paper ball at Danielle? Was that supposed to be "payback"? If so, they sucked at planning it. Wow. A rolled up piece of paper, that mean't nothing.

Or so, I thought. But by lunch, everything came together. Danielle took out the paper ball, and straightened it out.

"CHARLOTTE'S MYSTERY ALMOST UNRAVELED," The headline read. I felt myself frozen, where I stood. Elizabeth began to read aloud.

_"As you are all aware, 16 year old Charlotte Manson disappeared from "Roosevelt High School", several weeks ago. Police investigators have scanned the city, with no trace found to how or, or who. Only for the police to find her buried in the forest, late last night. Her body has been sent to the hospital, but no word yet."_ She stopped. I suddenly remembered the note that had been attached.

"Guys, help me flip this over," I said facing down. Peter grabbed one side, as I grabbed the other and flipped it over.

The note was there. But, it blew to the ground. I bent over to pick it up, and started unfolding it as I was getting up off the ground.

_"You mongrels are done for! I may have to expose you myself. It's that, or you turn yourselves in!" _I read aloud, as I set the note carefully on the table. My head turned to Dillan.

"What's it going to be?" He mouthed. I ignored him, and turned my head back to the note, lying on the table.

"What is that?" Danielle asked, eyeing the note. I pushed it towards her, before jerking my hand away. It took both my hands gripping the table, to keep me steady.

I looked at Danielle, as she crumbled the note, and threw it in the garbage can.

"What a freak," Elizabeth whispered to me, before she quickly exchanging an evil glance, with Dillan.

Suddenly, I heard vibrating. Peter pulled out his cell phone, and briefly checked the caller ID. He pushed the "talk" button, and pressed the phone against his ear.

"Kevin," He said sitting down. He would say "uh-huh" or "ok" from time to time. But for the most part, he would listen, as he pressed his hand to his other ear.

"Ok bye," He finally said. He removed the phone from his ear, and pressed the "end" button. I watched him, put his phone in his pocket. His attention went back to the newspaper.

"Well?" Elizabeth asked, as she leaned her head on his shoulder. I walked over to them, resting my hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. I felt Danielle's arm around me. But my attention was on Peter.

He was quiet. It got me a little worried. Had something happened? Was something going to happen? Unless, he was afraid of something that he thinks might happen.

Then again, Kevin and Amanda could be the "worried ones". They could be the ones with the fear of something. Or someone.

A few minutes passed, as we all remained silent. No one adjusted his or her position. The lunch bell finally rang. Peter was the first one out of the room.

Luckily, we caught up to him, in time. All our eyes were on him. He looked at each of us for a bit, before he faced Elizabeth.

"Kevin and Amanda are taping all news programs, for us all to see later," was all he said. I smiled. Finally, some answers. But, were they the ones we wanted to know? Would they help? What was going on?

What answers did we need? And will they solve our problems, or at least lead us in the right direction? One would hope, so. The newspaper headline ran through my head all next period.

"Ms. Jones?" I was not in any focus to what….

" MS. JONES!" Mrs. Anderson shouted, for the final time.

I suddenly jumped from my seat, and dropped to the ground. My head was down. But, I heard people laughing.

Suddenly, a hand shot down by me.

"Are you ok?" I heard Elizabeth whisper, so low only I heard.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I muttered. I took her hand, and she pulled me up. The laughing continued.

"You really should have been paying attention," I heard someone shout.

Their laugh was the loudest. And, I knew that voice anywhere. My head slowly turned to face the front of the room. Dillan was facing me, and laughing harder than ever. I sat down, as the laughter died down.

"Are you ok Annabelle?" The girl next to me asked. I faced her and slowly nodded.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Anderson asked.

"Yeah," I assured her. I put my head down, careful not to face anyone.

"Ok guys, settle down. That was not funny. Behave, especially you Dillan. Leave those girls alone!" Mrs. Anderson ordered. She pointed at Dillan as she said that last part.

My head was up, again. The class snickered a bit, as they all faced Dillan. He had his head down, ashamed. Good.

"Now everyone. Please start on the assignment listed on the board," Mrs. Anderson said calmly, as she pointed to the whiteboard. I read the board to myself, before I got started.

"Don't worry about him, Annabelle. Dillan Bellard is a freak. No wonder people don't talk to him," The girl next to me whispered. I turned to face her again.

She had short blond hair, and wore a red jacket with dark black jeans. Her shoes were black and white striped. She stared at me, with a curious expression on her face.

"Um, thank you," I finally said. I smiled a bit, as I turned away. My expression had dropped, when I looked over to Dillan. He was leaning towards Caroline, and appeared to be talking.

"No problem. By the way, I'm Jesse," I heard the girl say. I looked at her again. She smiled a bit, before facing her screen. Suddenly, I remembered that smile.

The last time I saw it, was the first time Dillan had spoken to me, on the first day. I forced a smile back, before turning away.

By the time we got home, things had gotten worse. As we walked into the house, we heard the television blasting loud. We followed the sound into the family room. Amanda and Kevin were on the couch. Both of them were focused on the screen.

_"We have recently heard from the __Alaskan Hospital__ and learned the truth to Charlotte Manson's murder. After several tests, we have discovered that her body has been drained of all blood. Already, we have gotten several reports, and several suspects," _The news reporter on screen explained.

I felt my body go numb. This was unbelievable! My eyes were on Amanda and Kevin. Amanda pressed the "mute" button on the remote. Her head was down. And she was avoiding any eye contact with any of us.

"They're getting closer to us!" I exclaimed.

"Isn't there anyway to lead them off our trail?" Peter asked.

He walked over to sit on the couch. I went to sit down on the floor, next to the couch. Danielle and Elizabeth stayed standing.

"I don't know," Kevin finally answered. I looked around the room. And as I looked at each of them so worried, none of them seemed guilty. But then again, they weren't. We were all innocent. But, no one else knew that. What if this was the end? Could these be our last hours together? I was much too distracted.

And even Dillan was the least of our problems now. Even though, his family was who wanted to kill us. They wanted us to expose us. But, which did they plan to do. And, what if they were to succeed?

"I'll be upstairs," I finally said. I got up, and raced out of the room. I didn't stop, until I had gone up the stairs and was in my room.

"Ugh!" I shouted, as I jumped onto my bed. My face was buried in my pillow. This moment, had been the safest I had ever felt, ever since the night in the meadow. How could this happen?

Dillan? Stephanie? She had sworn revenge on us, and the Bellards especially. But, that wasn't just why.

They had hated us for centuries. Her and her clan: Andrew, Katherine, and Robert. We had refused to join them. And Robert's death had only made this worse!

But then again, maybe we should have seen this coming. They were bound to find Charlotte sometime. It would not have been long after that, for them to figure something out.

Maybe if we get lucky, they'll think it was something else. Hopefully, they don't find any evidence that would soon have the police banging down our door. Who knows what could happen. We could be experimented on. Maybe, dissected.

The image of us all in a zoo cage, as people stared in disapproval suddenly ran through my mind. Shaking the thought from my mind snapped my head up.

The room was dark. The moonlight was shining through the windows. I put my hand on my forehead, as I stumbled to the ground.

"Ugh," I mumbled. I looked up at the clock. 1:32am, it read. I walked out, and slowly made my way down the stairs. The news was blasting loud. I walked in to find Peter and Elizabeth on the couch. Elizabeth laid her head in his shoulder, as he had his arm around her.

Danielle was on the loveseat. Her head was lying back, as she faced the television. In fact, all their eyes faced the screen. But, they were the only ones I saw.

"Where are Kevin and Amanda?" I asked as I walked into the room. I sat myself on a chair that was next to Danielle.

"Hunting," Elizabeth simply replied, her eyes never leaving the screen. My attention was now on the news.

"Nothing new yet. This isn't good," Danielle said, with a sighed.

I turned to face her, as she stared at the front door for a moment. Then, her attention directed back to the room. I looked back to the screen. They talked about nothing that would concern nor interest me.

But, something important could come on at any moment. So, I said nothing. Just then, I heard Kevin and Amanda walk in.

" Hey kids. Any word yet?" Amanda asked, as she joined Peter and Elizabeth on the couch. Kevin sat down in the chair next to me.

"Nope," I sighed.

"Clearly, laying low isn't working for us," Peter added.

"Yeah no doubt," Elizabeth agreed.

I turned my head, to see her head lifting up from Peter and lying it on the back of the couch. Peter kept his arm around her.

"We need to find a way to lay even lower," Danielle muttered.

I gave this some thought. How to lay low? After a few more minutes, I jumped from my seat. Everyone's eyes were suddenly on me.

"We could hide for a while," I suggested.

"Hide?" Danielle asked, a bit confused.

"Yeah," I answered. They were all silent for a moment. Then, Kevin stood up.

"Annabelle has a good point. We run the risk of exposure, as it is. And we cannot let anybody find us."

Everyone else remained silent for a bit longer. Finally, they looked up at us, and slowly nodded. I smiled at them. We had to do this; at least for now.

If anyone found us out, they would stop at nothing to find us. They wouldn't want us here. They would say we're different. We were freaks.

And, they would want us to die. But, we did not intend for this to happen. We will put an end to this, before it begins.

Chapter 11:How to kill a Vampire

Dillan:

I got to the meadow rather early. Two hours, to be exact. But, it wasn't much fun wandering around the forest. I had too much time on my hands. There was nothing to do. Except, to plan. How was I going to proceed?

How can I make it so she'll never see it coming? Well, whatever I decided to do had to be fast and painful. Then again, it all depends. What if she's stronger than me? What if I'm stronger than her? Hopefully, it's not the first one. But, I guess I'll just have to wait and find out for myself.

How much longer? It feels like I've been waiting here for hours. I took a quick peek at my watch. I had about five minutes, before Annabelle would get here. That is, if she comes.

Wait. What if she doesn't come? She might have figured it all out. She could even be afraid to come, because she's afraid of me.

And if that's the case, then I can kiss my plan goodbye. But, what if she doesn't know anything?

"Hey," I heard behind me. I looked over to find Annabelle walking towards me, as she made her way through the branches. Excellent. I smiled.

"Hello. I almost thought you would not come," I said.

I made my way over to her.

"Why wouldn't I?" She said now smiling. True. Why wouldn't she come? Obviously, she doesn't know anything. And, that was good.

We stood in silence for a moment. Then, I turned around.

"Let's go for a walk," I suggested.

"Ok," Annabelle agreed, and began to walk, right behind me.

As we walked, my mind wandered aimlessly. I wanted to attack. Now. But, I was afraid that someone was watching. And, they would attack me at any moment. I managed to keep myself under control. We wandered around the meadow, keeping the same path.

But by the look on her face, she looked rather uncomfortable. Not to mention, guilty. The same guilty look she's had in the past.

"Annabelle?" I asked her.

"Oh, what?" She finally answered.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"Yeah," She answered. I could tell that she was lying. What's she up to?

"Are you sure?" I asked again, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Yeah," She said again, this time trying to sound convincing.

Dang it. No luck. We walked in a circle, until we were back to the meadow. She sat down in the grass, as I sat on the rock that was next to her.

She still looked guilty. Maybe, I could trick her into saying something. There was no sign of her family. So, she was more likely to confess.

"So," I started to say. I stopped to look at her. She stayed silent, waiting for me to say more. But, what could I say? Should I taunt her? Torture her? That was what I wanted to do. But, something else slipped out of my mouth.

"I was just wondering, why did your family move here?" What did I say that for?

"Well," She started to say, as her voice drowned off. Suddenly, her expression changed from puzzled, to a hard stare. What was she thinking?

"I'll be back," She said, as she started to stand up. Wait. She's leaving. That wasn't part of the plan!

"Wait. Where are you going?" I asked her.

I jumped down from the rock, and was now standing in front of her. She looked like she was searching through her mind for some excuse.

"I lost something back there. My phone," She lied, as she tried passing me.

I thought for a moment. I found a way. A way she will never see coming.

"How about I go look for it?" I offered. Annabelle was silent for a moment. Then, she finally spoke.

"Alright." She replied simply. She had given in.

Perfect! I got a smile on my face. But, it was not a friendly kind.

"I'll be back," I told her.

And, then I raced off. I had to get as far away as I could. As soon as I felt far enough, I stopped. I was panting. So, I rested for a moment in order for my heart rate to slow down.

Then with as much breath as I had, I inhaled the smell of the air. But, something was not right. I could barely smell her anymore. She was moving away.

I should have expected this. Outsmarted by her. By a vampire! I felt dumb as I was racing back. Annabelle was not at the meadow. And her smell was getting farther away.

"Where is she?" I kept asking myself. A strong smell suddenly picked up on me. It was definitely a vampire. Yes! I was getting closer.

As I reached the end of a big bundle of branches, someone was just ahead. But, it was not Annabelle.

But, I knew that hair anywhere. Robert. He was also a vampire. Him and his coven have lived here for over 100 years.

"Wh-Who are you?" He stuttered. I smiled, slowly approaching him.

"Your worst nightmare," I said so low, that he appeared quite frightened. Robert stumbled to the ground. He knew he didn't stand a chance, even though he didn't know why I was really here. But, he was in my way to get to Annabelle. And, I wasn't letting anybody stop me. So while he was down on the ground, I fiercely took him down.

His blood was now pouring down into the dirt. The smell was much too strong. I held my breath, as I continued running.

Just then, that same scent passed me again. I continued walking, until two more figures came into the clearing. Stephanie. She was a part of Robert's Coven. And, she was fighting Annabelle.

Next to them, was a dead body lying on the ground. The person looked so familiar. But, I wasn't close enough to be sure. This was my chance. First, I had to scare Stephanie off.

I rushed back to where Robert's body was. Even though I had no intention of harming her, that didn't mean she had to know. I picked him up by his leg, and swung him so high he flew over the trees. By the time I was back, Stephanie had released a blood-curling scream.

"Robert!" She screamed.

I was now in the clearing, as Stephanie rushed to his side. Her attention was on Robert. I looked over at Annabelle. Her eyes were on Stephanie.

When my attention was back on her, she looked up at me. A fearful look was in her eyes. I could have killed her. But, she's not my target either. Not now.

"You'll be next!" I told her, darkly.

She was up, and on her feet. She stopped walking when she was half an inch away, from me.

"So, it's a tie, between me and her!" She exclaimed, now pointing at Annabelle.

"Wh-What?" She stuttered. She seemed puzzled. Unbelievable. Annabelle still failed to realize, what now stood in front of her.

"Oh, please. Why else do you think he brought you here?" Stephanie sneered, her eyes not leaving mine. She bent down to pick up, Robert's dead body, and was gone.

Annabelle's eyes slowly turned to meet mine. Now, she appeared afraid. She stood there, looking for the right words to say. Annabelle knew. The secret? Yes. But, was she aware of her purpose to come here?

"Di-Di-Dillan," Her voice broke off, at my name. I stood in silence. But, my eyes never left hers. Had my plan backfired? What could I do? Should I run, and hope she won't try and stop me? Or attack her as planned? But, maybe she won't try and stop me.

I was suddenly to the ground, in half a second. Annabelle had me pinned to the ground. She was mad. If she wanted to fight me, then it was on! I pushed her off me, and she went flying into a tree and dropped to the ground.

"My family was right! About everything. You used me! I've just been your little hunting game, this whole time. Ever since, we met!" She screamed.

I smirked as I approached her.

"Smart. For a vampire."

She lunged for me. But, I was out of the way before she could see. I grabbed her and shoved her against a boulder.

"Now, your family won't be able to save you," I said with an evil chuckle. She was not doing herself any good, trying to set herself free.

"How could you? I thought, maybe, that you," Annabelle whispered, as her eyes closed.

"What? That I wanted to be friends? Please. How could I? You're inhuman. A dangerous threat to the world," I laughed.

I watched as her eyes slowly opened back up. But, what was going on? She looked like she was thinking. But, I suppose I should have seen it coming.

She pushed me off her, sending me into the trees. Now, this was really personal. An evil smile formed on her face, as she watched me fall out.

"The only problem with the world is you!" She shouted.

She started to dive into the trees. But, something else came out from the bushes. It was either another vampire, or Annabelle had some kind of split personality.

"Stay away from my sister!" A voice shouted.

Ugh. It was her "brother".

"Annabelle, come on!" I someone shout. I turned my head, only to be dived down into the ground. Her "sisters" were helping her escape. Dang it. But, I faced a much bigger problem right now.

"Dillan!" I heard Caroline shout. Caroline. I pushed the vampire brother off my back, before I started into the trees. She was fighting Elizabeth.

"You aren't putting up the best fight," I teased. She glanced at me ferociously. But that move caused her to bang into a tree.

"That's why I need help!" She shouted impatiently. Suddenly, I was attacked from behind. Annabelle's "parents" appeared and fought off Jeff and Emily.

But, fighting the brother was much more complicated. He was much too strong, even when I enlisted Sam's help, who was now helping Caroline.

Danielle had returned. But, Annabelle was nowhere in sight. The fight felt like it had gone on for hours. It had finally stopped, and both families stood opposite each other.

"Ever go near Annabelle again, you'll need a breathing tube to stay alive," The brother warned.

Wow. Like I was supposed to be afraid. I shot them, a "you don't scare me" look before we raced off.

"Unbelievable!" Caroline cried, as she stomped through the front door of the house.

"Now what?" Sam asked, as he collapsed onto the couch. It was uncertain. Annabelle now knew the truth. And now, she was after us.

I wasn't exactly sure what could be done. But, there was one main key point that stood out for sure.

Annabelle and her family were vampires. And, we were vampire hunters. They did not combine. And in this case, opposites did not attract.

Something was bound to happen. And they will suffer. Someway. Somehow.

"We will get them!" I declared. Everyone else cheered.

"Yeah!" Jeff exclaimed.

"They'll pay!" Caroline giggled. Only question was. How?

Chapter 12: Almost Fight

I tried to find them, over the weekend. But every time I caught their scent, I never came close. These vampires were much smarter than I thought.

And now, they will be keeping their eyes on us. I could not think of any other way to get them. Maybe they disappeared. Finally had gone back to where they came from. Where they belonged.

Dang It. I recognized their family car in the school parking lot, early that next Monday. Everything seemed normal. Throughout the morning, I could not help but wonder something. Sixth Period.

Today, Caroline and I had to present our project with "them". I felt so stupid. It had been my idea to put them in our group to begin with. But, I just had to open my big mouth.

"Do you think if I were to tackle Elizabeth to the ground, people would notice?" Caroline asked enthusiastically. We were now sitting in the cafeteria. I turned to her.

I suddenly started to laugh. Sam did not appear to be paying attention. So, it was hard to tell if he heard or not. My smile faded.

When I saw the direction he faced. I looked to Caroline. She was now facing the same direction. I turned to face "them".

All of them were glaring at Caroline and Sam. My eyes flashed over to Elizabeth, before turning to look at Annabelle. The color of her eyes, were pitch black. It was almost frightening. She slowly turned around. None of them were looking this way anymore. Their eyes were now on each other. My eyes were on Caroline, who was still watching them.

"I'll bet they're planning something," She muttered. My eyes went back to the Jones'. They looked like they were talking. Probably planning revenge on us. But, it almost reminded me of their second day here.

My mind flashed back to that day. Elizabeth was mad at Annabelle. Then, she turns calm and looks guilty for being mad.

That was how they all seemed now. Annabelle's expression stood out the most. I was sure she was planning something. She wanted to get back at me, for Friday Night. How I had nearly killed her. And, would have succeeded if her brother hadn't shown up.

The bell rang. I was up and walked out into the hallway. My head was down, avoiding eye contact with anybody. I had to hold the rail, as I walked up the staircase to avoid falling.

When I walked in the doorway, my head lifted up a bit.

They were already seated. But neither of them faced this way. Caroline and I slowly took out seats, as we kept our eyes on the whiteboard.

"Alright. Good afternoon!" Mrs. Anderson exclaimed, after the bell had rung.

"Today, we are going to be presenting our projects! Now, who would like to go first?" The room was silent. And, nobody's hand was raised.

"Alright then. I will pick someone. Ms. Jones?" She said, after a few moments of silence. She was now facing Annabelle. I rolled my eyes. Her head was down. She slowly looked up at Mrs. Anderson. We were first. Thank you very much Annabelle. Caroline was getting up from her seat.

"How about we start with your group?" She suggested, as her hand was waving to the front of the room.

"Just get up from the chair!" I screamed inside my head. I'll go over there, and drag her out if necessary. I got up, and turned to lean my back against the wall.

Annabelle slowly got up, followed by Elizabeth. Elizabeth headed for the light switch, as Annabelle went to the opposite end of the wall.

She leaned back, avoiding eye contact with me. I stared at the class for a moment. Then I watched Caroline pulling up a document on the computer.

The lights went out. The three of us joined Caroline by the computer. Annabelle grabbed the computer remote, and went to stand by Elizabeth.

They were on the opposite side of the computer from us. She clicked on the button, changing the slide. Then, she spoke.

"For the limited time I have been here, I have seen enough of the school, to feel like I have been here for four years. High school has a lot to come with it."

Oh please. She was such a kiss up. And everyone else was buying it! They think she's all sweet and innocent. Time to remind her the truth. Even if it mean't having her make a big scene in front of everyone. In fact, that didn't sound like a bad idea.

I stepped forward to speak, as she changed the slide.

"For example, friends. There are good things that come with them. But, other times, there are bad things. Like, when certain "friends" are not exactly honest with you. And, pretend to be something they are not." I calmly spoke, as I put emphasis on every few words. She started towards me. Let the "big scene" begin!

Well, maybe the "friend", had a good reason. And sometimes, they are not the only ones, who will lie. Especially, when trying to invade their life," She said, in the same tone as me.

"Well, no one asked for your opinion, now did they?" I half-shouted.

"No one cared what you thought from the start!" She exclaimed.

I was near a point, where attacking her, despite everyone else around sounded like a good idea.

"Ok, guys stop!" Elizabeth chimed in, now standing beside us. She was not ruining my plan.

"Stay out of this!" I shouted, elbowing her so hard in the stomach, she collapsed to the ground. Annabelle nearly froze where she was standing, looking down at her weak sister.

" You are unbelievable!" She screamed at me. I smirked. Like, I really cared. Elizabeth should have stayed out of my way in the first place. She slowly turned to face Mrs. Anderson.

"Can I take her to the nurse?" She asked her. She looked almost as hurt as Elizabeth. Annabelle looked about ready to cry.

"Yes," She replied. "Dillan, to the office, now! Caroline you may take a seat."

Oh great! I'm the one in trouble. I stomped out of the room, all the way to the office. Mrs. Anderson ought to know the truth about that girl. What a disgusting little leech, she was. Not to mention her family. Even worse, putting them all together. They were a family? Yeah, right.

"The principal will see you shortly," The receptionist said. I shrugged. And, I continuously checked the clock every five seconds. It was quiet, until I heard footsteps from down the hall.

"Come with me," A voice said. Mrs. Anderson was standing in the doorway, waiting for me. I got up from my seat and headed out the door.

"He'll be back," She called as we walked out.

"Hopefully not," I muttered. She appeared to have heard me.

"Dillan, what you did was horrible! And I know that wasn't an accident," She spoke quietly. A few minutes later, we were standing outside the nurse's office.

Oh great. She's going to make me apologize. Why should I? If Elizabeth hadn't been standing in my way, there wouldn't be a problem.

Besides, they're vampires. There was no way that she was hurt. They wanted me to get in trouble.

"Wait here," Mrs. Anderson whispered. She knocked on the door, before stepping in. I groaned softly, as I banged my head against the wall. I kept at it, until Mrs. Anderson walked out. She gave me a confused look, before she spoke.

"Go on in," She said, as she passed me. I peeked around the corner. Mrs. Anderson still had her eyes on me, as I slowly stepped inside.

Elizabeth was lying on a bed, as she softly moaned. Annabelle was standing on one side of the bed. Her eyes were filled with anger, and hurt as she watched me approach the bed.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, before I turned around and walked out. As soon as I was out, Mrs. Anderson escorted me back to the main office.

I ended up spending the next hour with the principal. I sat there, as he lectured me over and over again. At least, I was pretty sure because I wasn't really paying any attention.

Those vampires were getting on my last nerves. I want to kill them so much. Especially Annabelle. I started making a mental list.

"How to kill Annabelle:"

Strangle her

Rip her to shreds

Crush her

Drown her

Stab her

I crossed the last two from my mind. She's immortal. Doesn't have to breath. Duh! Trying to drown her won't do anything. And stabbing her was just as useless. My mind was mainly on the thought "Rip her to shreds". It kept repeating in my mind. Just how would…

"Mr. Bellard!" The principal shouted. I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Do you understand?" He asked me, as he started calming down from the lack of attention I was giving him.

"Oh yeah, of course," I assured.

"Excellent. You may go. Next period will be starting soon," I jumped from my seat, and grabbed my bag.

"Thank you sir," I said, shaking the man's hand. I bolted from the room, and raced to Spanish Class.

Ms. Bowers didn't mind that I was a few seconds late.

"Just sit," She told me, when I walked in. We had a pop quiz. It was so easy; I was done in ten minutes.

The teacher was surprised to see me done so fast. I handed her my quiz, and headed back to my seat. When I got back, a folded piece of paper was on my desk. I sat down, before unfolding it. It read:

_"Caroline told me what happened. I hate those mongrels! - Sam"_

_"I know,"_ I wrote back to him. My thoughts had taken me back to the project. What I had done was stupid. Keeping my mouth shut had been an option. One I had refused to follow. Then again, she carried it out. She could have stayed calm. She had the same option: keeping quiet.

I rolled my eyes at the thought. Then, I had to take the blame. Annabelle fought back. But, I had fought physically. She spoke from her mind, not leaving my feelings the slightest bit bruised.

Like, I cared what a bunch of bloodsuckers thought. But, we were even. That was how it worked. I "hurt" her sister, and they get me in trouble. But, my little game had only just started.

And, I wasn't playing to get even. I was playing to win!

It started that night, in my dreams. Through my mind, I saw the reflections to what I wanted to see.

In my dreams, Annabelle was strapped a tree. She would pant, for oxygen. And was getting weaker by the minute. Her eyes would slowly close. I would reach out my hand, to place it over her heart. It felt cold. No beating.

My other hand was by her mouth. I waited for a moment. Nothing. No breathing. I smiled. Just then, my eyes shot open.

It was sunny outside. I rolled around, to shoot out my hand to the alarm. As I was turning it off, something caught my attention.

I slumped off the bed to pick it up. It was a dagger. The letter "J" was printed on the handle. Annabelle! Who else? She had been here. Last night. She tried to kill me!

"Guys!" I shouted as I stormed out of the bedroom.

Chapter 13: Mystery Unraveled

"Filthy leeches!" Caroline screamed. We were in the car, on our way to school. And, Caroline kept on startling me with her constant screaming. But luckily, she stopped when we were pulling into the school parking lot. While Sam was searching for a spot, I was scanning the parking lot. There was no sign of the Jones Family car. Yet. They'll be here. I just know it.

As soon as the car stopped, we all opened our doors, and got out. We went over to stand by the front doors. I stood between Sam and Caroline. But, my eyes never left the parking lot's entrance.

"Why didn't we think of that?" Caroline muttered. I rolled my eyes. My eyes shifted over to Sam, who was leaning towards her.

"They don't sleep. Couldn't work," He whispered back, as he turned his attention back on the parking lot.

My eyes shifted back to the parking lot. They were here. I watched as all four of them got out of their car. Danielle was the first one out of the car. Then, her eyes shifted in our direction.

She muttered something to the others. But, she was so far away, that I couldn't figure out what it was. The rest of them were now facing this way. The "brother"  
Peter and Elizabeth were both facing Sam, as Danielle's attention stayed on Caroline. Then, she looked over at Annabelle. Then, I faced Annabelle. And, her eyes were on me.

But, it didn't really surprise me. Especially, when she started walking this way. Her eyes never left mine. We stood in place. Annabelle turned to each of her sides. Probably making sure she had back up. Smart girl.

"Which one of you invaded our house last night?" Sam suddenly asked them. He slowly looked at all of us, before stopping on Caroline.

"Why do you think it was us?" The brother smirked. "You could be just delusional. Wouldn't be the first time." The others joined in. I knew which one? But, would they confess?

"Look, we know it was one of you freaks of nature. Who?" Caroline nearly shouted. My eyes were back on Sam. Why wouldn't she confess? Wait. Of course, she wouldn't. My thoughts were interrupted, when Annabelle stepped forward.

"I did," She confessed. Was she trying to make me mad? She said it, as if it wasn't that big of a deal. I was almost killed! Of course it mattered!

"You!" Caroline screamed. I could take care of my own problems. She hadn't been the victim. I had.

"You tried to kill me!" I shouted. She still looked like she didn't care.

"There was a dagger in my room, this morning!"

"You are smart. For someone like you," She quoted.

She was mocking me. Caroline stepped towards her.

"You little," She started to say. The brother was in front of her, in seconds.

"Keep away from her. One more move, and your head will snap!" He warned us.

"I am scared!" I remarked sarcastically. I waved my hands frantically in the air, trying to humor their "little joke". They were not happy. Annabelle stepped forward, to line herself with her "brother".

She looked like she was concentrating on something. But, what was… She was growling. Wait. Growling? It was almost, scary. She sounded like a bear, before attacking its prey. I kept a straight face. No way she was getting the satisfaction.

"You should be," She whispered. She passed me, banging into my side as hard as she could.

"Ow," I thought to myself. She was strong. It gave me an idea. I took the newspaper from my bag, and crumpled it up. Unfortunately, my aim sucks. So, it hit Danielle, instead of her. Oh well. One of them was hit.

"Ugh," She groaned. I turned around. Maybe, they won't know. What am I saying? Of course, they're going to know.

"What happened?" Annabelle asked her urgently.

"This was aimed at my head!" She shouted, rather annoyed as she was referring to the crumbled piece of paper.

"Real mature," Elizabeth shouted. I turned back around when I was sure they were gone.

"How is throwing paper supposed to help?" Sam asked confused.

"When we see the looks on their faces, when they read the headline," I said in a singsong voice.

"Let's see them, find their way out of this!" Sam said with a bit of a chuckle.

"Plus, I added a little note inside," Caroline giggled. I stared at her. What note?

"What does it say?" Sam asked, her eagerly. I forced a smile. He wanted them gone, almost as much as I did. If only there was a way to. Someway, that would still have them remaining clueless.

"Let's just say, we won't have to deal with them anymore!" She laughed. My smile grew wider. This was Perfect!

I was out of class a few minutes early. So, the lunchroom was empty when I got there. As I headed for the table, the rest of my class was filing in. I looked up at the clock above me.

The bell would ring soon. I sat down, as I kept my eyes on the door. My attention went to the Jones "family" table. Elizabeth was sitting alone. She glanced over to me, and snarled before she put her head down on the table.

The bell rang, and I looked over at the doorway. Sam and Caroline were walking in.

"Hey guys," I said, as they sat down.

"Hey Dillan," Caroline smiled. Sam was facing the Jones table, again. I decided to permit myself another glance over there. The other three were there. But, Annabelle had not arrived yet. Danielle was mad! She must be complaining about this morning. I couldn't help but agree.

Why did I throw a newspaper? Pathetic. But if they were angry, it was good enough. Annabelle walked in to join the others. What might she be up to now? Planning their next house invasion I'll bet.

Danielle took out the paper from her bag, and smoothed it out as much as she could. Then, she laid it out on the table for the others to see. It wasn't long before their expressions changed from calm to worried. I smiled a bit. They were coming to their end. The police will definitely lead this to them.

"Guys, help me flip this over," Annabelle said, as she tried to flip over the newspaper. The big brother grabbed the other side, and helped her. The note appeared on the back. She noticed it, and took it off.

"She's seen it," Caroline whispered. I nodded still smiling, as I watched her unfold it. The others looked over at her, as she looked over it. Then, she looked my way.

"What's it going to be?" I mouthed. She threw a dirty look my way, before she faced her family.

"So, what now?" I asked as I turned back around. Neither of them faced me. Caroline looked like she was thinking. Her eyes were on the ground. Sam had his head down on the table. A few minutes passed. Then, he finally looked up.

"Let them decide. After all, it will end the same way. One way or another," Sam said with a sighed. I looked back over to Caroline. She snapped out of her thoughts. And, her eyes were now on the ceiling.

"Sam's right. There's no way, that they can get out of this," She agreed.

I put my head down for a bit. As I thought this through, realization hit me. As much as torturing her was rather enjoyable, it would soon be over. No one was allowed to do that to her except me. That's how it is. I slowly lifted my head a bit, as I looked at the table.

"If anybody's going to mess with them, it's going to be us," I murmured. They seemed to have heard what I had said.

"Are you suggesting we help them?" Caroline asked rather appalled. And by the tone in her voice, she was hoping that she had heard me wrong.

"No. But, we can't let anyone else expose them. That's our job. We let them suffer, because of us," I simply replied. Both of them were silent. Finally, Caroline spoke up.

"We'll expose them, when the time is right then?" She asked, wanting to make sure she had heard me correctly this time.

I slowly nodded. She leaned towards me.

"That's good," She said now smiling, as she got up from her seat. I grabbed my bag, before standing up. The three of us walked out side-by-side.

"You know, I almost misunderstood you Dillan. Because if I didn't know any better, I thought that vampire girl was starting to "grow on you"," Sam said, low enough for us to hear. I couldn't believe what he'd just said. Suddenly, we all started laughing.

"You! And. And Annabelle!" Caroline laughed. I was laughing so hard, that I couldn't breathe. I stumbled a bit, as we headed up the stairs.

"Yeah right. That'll happen," Sam sarcastically remarked, as he continued laughing.

"Not possible. I couldn't go one day, without trying to slay her," I said coolly. By now, we all stopped laughing and now were outside the classroom.

"Well, see you guys," Sam called, as he headed in the opposite direction.

We walked into the classroom, and sat down. I turned on the monitor, as I sat my bag down on the ground.

"Your "girlfriend" is glaring this way," Caroline teased, as she made "air-quotes". I rolled my eyes. Weren't we all passed this? I hate this girl. And she hated me. Nothing will ever change that.

"Not helping," I whispered through my teeth. She smirked, but let it go.

My mind was distracted the next half an hour. Why did this suddenly matter? As far as I could tell, the thought of Annabelle flashed nightmares through my mind.

She was nothing to me. Except, the enemy. Prey. I knew the mission. But so far, I wasn't following through.

My attention was back on the class, at the sound of the teacher's voice.

"Ms. Jones?" I turned around. She was talking to Annabelle. But, she didn't appear to be paying attention.

"There's a shock," I thought sarcastically through my mind. I wanted to make a comment. But, I wasn't sure what to say.

"Ms. Jones!" She shouted again. Annabelle suddenly snapped out of her thoughts.

And that move, sent her out of her seat and onto the ground. The rest of the class started laughing. And by the look on her face, she seemed really embarrassed. But, that only made me laugh even harder.

"Are you ok?" I heard Elizabeth say over the laughter. Her and Mrs. Anderson were the only ones not laughing. Elizabeth held out her hand to help Annabelle up.

"Yeah. I'm fine," She muttered, as she stood up.

I couldn't resist. If she couldn't get over this, I would see to it.

"You really should have been paying attention," I shouted. She looked over at me. I almost could see the hurt in her eyes. But I was too busy laughing, that I really didn't care.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Anderson asked. Annabelle nodded, and sat down keeping her head down on the table. Everyone stopped laughing. And now, the whole class was facing the front.

"Ok guys, settle down. That was not funny. Behave, especially you Dillan. Leave those girls alone!" Mrs. Anderson ordered, as she pointed at me.

The class snickered a bit. Some of them were facing me. I pouted. No one in this school could take a joke. Geez.

"Now everyone, please start on the assignment listed on the board," Mrs. Anderson said quietly.

The room had grown silent. I started on the assignment, as Caroline leaned over.

"Did you have to do that? That'll only get you in trouble," She whispered. Caroline sighed, before she started typing. I did the same, forcing myself not to turn around.

"Dillan, I want to speak to you after class," I heard in my ear. Mrs. Anderson. Great. I'm in trouble, again! As soon as I was done, I laid my head down on the table, until the bell rang.

My head was up, as everyone else filed out.

"Good luck," Caroline said on her way out. Mrs. Anderson closed the door behind them. She grabbed her desk chair, and placed it in front of me.

"Honestly Dillan. I don't know what has gotten into you," She said disappointed. She was now seated in the chair, and her eyes were on me.

I shrugged.

"You have been a wonderful student. And, this kind of behavior needs to stop. Why are you doing this? Is something bothering you?" She asked me as I faced down.

What could I say? Not the truth, obviously. I looked up at her.

"Nothing is bothering me," I finally said.

Mrs. Anderson said nothing. She put her elbow on the table, resting her head on her head.

"Well Dillan. If nothing is wrong, why are you doing this? Those girls have been very kind since they got here. And you are not making them feel very welcome," She said.

I rested back in my chair. There was part of the truth I could say. I took a shot at it.

"I don't like them. They don't like me," I muttered. I'll bet she heard me. She stared at me expressionless. I watched her fold her hands on the table.

"Why? I want you to think about that. Who knows, maybe you don't like them for all the wrong reasons. You barely know these girls. But for the most part, it's you and Annabelle. You two need to work things out. I don't want anymore of this fighting," was all she said.

"You know. I think I will. You've given me a lot to consider," I said with a smile. I gathered my things, and raced out the door.

"See you later Mrs. A!" I called over my shoulder. Her words kept repeating in my head, as I walked down the hallway. I think she's right. I thought I hated Annabelle. Did I? Was it because she's a vampire? Does that mean I'm supposed to?

I suddenly remembered the Annabelle I met. She seemed shy, and scared. But, she looked like she wanted to speak to someone. My thoughts were on the Annabelle I knew now.

This was the one who hated me. She only did because I tried to kill her. The thought of that night was like a knife in my back. I now understood her. She's hurt. That had been exactly how I felt when I discovered she had tried to kill me. But, she didn't. She spared my life. But, why did she?

I wasn't sure. But, I knew what I had been doing hasn't been the solution. And maybe it was time to bury the past. Leave it behind.

Become friends. It felt like a good idea. At least, I thought so. Now, if only I could get Annabelle to listen to me, she would see it too. She needs a friend. She needs me. But then, there was my family. Not to mention hers.

What would they say? Then again, maybe they wouldn't have to know. This idea almost reminded me of the play _"Romeo & Juliet". _Only, we were not "Lovers". No way. And, I did not intend on a tragic ending.

I was the author to my story. And I will control the ending!

Chapter 14: Hiding

Annabelle:

I didn't think I would have to say goodbye again. Leaving the place where I wanted to be. And for the first time, I felt like I was home. That this was where I belonged.

I knew it wasn't going to last forever. But, I wished it had. We packed what we could, and took off. The house was left as we found it. The furniture was all that remained. The door was unlocked, and the garage door was closed.

And all the blinds were open, allowing the sunlight in. We drove, until we reached the state's boundary line. Outside the state was a small hotel.

"County Side Hotel" the sign read. The forest was surrounding it. We walked in to find just less than ten people inside. And that included the bellhop at the counter. We checked in, and this was now where we stood.

I spent most of my time on the balcony. We stayed indoors as much as we could. And, only two at a time could go out into the forest. I turned around, to look through the thick glass door.

Peter and Elizabeth were sitting on the couch, as they stared at the television. Amanda was in the kitchen. A bunch of cookbooks and pots were piled on the counters.

She was trying to cook. Danielle and Kevin were out in the forest. I felt like I'd been outside for weeks. Months, even. I got up from my seat, and pulled back the glass door.

None of them had appeared to notice my presence. I started towards the kitchen.

"Hi Annabelle. How are you?" Amanda greeted me. She didn't look up from the book she was reading.

"Ok," I said with a sighed. I pulled myself onto the counter, and leaned my head against the wall. She looked up, as she placed her hand on my knee. I looked up. But, I kept my eyes on the ceiling.

"I know you want to go home. But for now, this what we have to do," Amanda said, so loud the others appeared to have heard. My eyes dropped. Elizabeth got up from the couch and stood by my side.

"We all know how you feel. But, it's for the best. It's something we need to adjust to," She said sighing. I nodded. But, that didn't make me feel any better. I jumped from the counter and sat down on the couch.

Elizabeth followed behind me, and sat between Peter and me. I had no idea, what they were watching. But, there wasn't anything else to do.

I hated having to hide. This was all Dillan's fault! If only he didn't know our secret. And, if he hadn't threatened to expose us, we would be home. It was where I belonged. I glanced a peek at Peter's watch.

"6:16pm May 3rd," I sighed. Two weeks. That was how long we had been here. Two weeks. That 's how long I've been miserable. Anymore weeks, and my head would explode. I closed my eyes, to try and fall asleep.

"We interrupt this program to bring you an important news report," suddenly blasted in my ears. My eyes shot open.

"This just in. We have received information from a reliable source. Information on the "Charlotte Manson Murder Case." If anybody has any information on the following suspects, please contact our office," The news reporter said.

I was in shock. Reliable source. Who? And who was turned in?

"Amanda!" Elizabeth panted. My eyes were on her before I looked at the screen.

The screen flashed pictures. My mouth dropped open. K-Kevin. Amanda. Elizabeth. Peter. Danielle. And then, there was me.

"No!" Amanda screamed. Danielle and Kevin bursted through the front door.

"We just heard!" Danielle exclaimed. I felt myself shaking. But, I couldn't stop myself from looking at the screen.

"Find them. They will be stopped!" The news reporter shouted. Then, the screen went black. The program from before, flashed back on.

Elizabeth couldn't stop panting. I tried to stand up, but my legs were still shaking. So, I collapsed back onto the couch.

"Annabelle!" Danielle shouted. She grabbed my hand and pulled me back up. My eyes were wary.

"I just saw my life flash before my eyes," I said drowsily.

Elizabeth wasn't breathing, as heavily anymore. Everyone was quiet. And, the sound of the television on the background wasn't helping.

I walked over to turn it off. Then, looked up to face out the window. I couldn't move. All feeling in my body had vanished. This was bad. No, this was worse. Much worse!

Who? Was it Dillan? The Bellards did this. Didn't they? I remembered the note attached to the newspaper. They exposed us, because we refused to do it ourselves.

Unless. Stephanie? It could have been her. Anybody. How? That was the important question. Obviously, if someone else had found out, how did they? Did the Bellard's turn us in? Someone may have seen something. Maybe, But, somebody was going to pay! And as soon we were home, I would get revenge!

"Who could have done this?" Danielle wailed.

"Those Bellards did this, I just know it," Peter grumbled.

I sighed. Then, I turned to face them.

"I don't know. It doesn't matter who caused this to happen. Because it happened," I said at last.

"She's right. We saw this coming. But, we thought it could be stopped," Kevin sighed.

I walked out of the room, with my head down.

"I'm afraid. They'll find us. Someway. Somehow. They will find us," Elizabeth whispered. I went to my "room" and silently closed the door behind me. We may never go home. Everyone wanted to kill us. Especially Dillan. I was so mad. I had the chance to kill him.

And, I messed it up. I now knew his "purpose" on earth. And soon, he would have it. We were out of ideas. And there was nothing else that could be done. I laid down on the bed, as I groaned.

I felt so alone. So scared. So lost. No path could possibly fix this. It grew dark, a while later. The stars were twinkling in the night sky. And the moonlight was shining bright.

"Mom, Dad. I'm so lost," I whispered. I could hear thunder coming from outside. A storm was picking up. But, there was something else, too.

There were clouds building up in the sky. They were gray and foggy. But, I had never seen anything like this. Was this normal? I ran from the room, and raced to the balcony.

"Annabelle. What's wrong?" I heard Amanda shout. I ignored them and raced outside.

The thunder was louder. And it began to rain. Not to mention, the wind was picking up. The fog was getting closer. But, it stopped a few feet away from me.

"Annabelle," It whispered.

"Who are you?" I asked it. I spoke a bit louder than the voice did. The fog had begun to take on form. It looked so familiar. Two faces formed inside.

"Annabelle," It whispered again. I couldn't believe it. I knew those voices and faces anywhere.

"Mom, Dad. Is that you?" I asked the voices. I stared at the faces in astonishment. But, I was so confused. How was this possible? It really wasn't.

"It's us Annabelle," I heard my mother's voice say. I smiled, as they both smiled back.

My smile suddenly faded, as my eyes stayed on them.

"Mom. Dad. I'm so lost. I'm so confused," I whispered warily.

"I Know," My father whispered. The rain began to pour harder and the thunder got louder. I spoke up.

"What can I do? I can't lose them. Not like I lost you guys. I wished I could have saved you but."

"It's okay Annabelle. Everything will be alright," My mother whispered.

"Listen to them Annabelle," I heard behind me. Elizabeth. She raced next to me.

"Annabelle, sweetheart. Listen to your sister, and Kevin and Amanda. They have been wonderful parents to you," My father said.

I heard the others come outside. Everyone crowded around me.

"Kevin, Amanda. Take good care of her. Just like you always have. You are her family now. And I know you will do what's right," My mother whispered. They nodded, as their eyes stayed on them. Wait. What's happening? No!

"Wait! Don't leave. We need you!" I screamed. I was trying to get off the balcony to catch up to them.

"Annabelle. Annabelle stop!" Kevin shouted. I felt him and Peter holding me back.

"Goodbye. No matter what happens, your mother and I will always love you," were my father's last words. The fog slowly vanished. And the storm continued.

My eyes looked away, and slowly closed. Amanda pulled me into her arms, as Kevin wrapped one arm around me.

"Don't worry Annabelle. Everything will be alright," Amanda assured me. After a few minutes, she released me. My eyes opened, and I walked past them back to the bedroom.

I felt like I was lying on the bed for hours. But, it couldn't have been long. It was still dark out, and the storm hadn't stopped.

Knock. Knock. Knock. I looked up from the pillow.

"What," I mumbled pathetically. The door slowly opened. Kevin was standing in the doorway.

"May I come in?" He asked softly. I sighed. Why Not? I slowly nodded as I laid my head back down. I faced him as he walked in and sat down on the bed next to me. It was dead silent. I counted the seconds. One hundred sixty four seconds later, he spoke.

We're all worried Annabelle. But, Amanda and I. We're going to protect you. I promise not to let anything happen to any of you."

"How do we know? Something could happen," I spoke, my voice a bit louder this time. I looked down. Then, up at him. And down again.

"We have kept you all safe for over a hundred years. And we will continue to do so," He whispered. I sat myself up, as my head lifted up to look at Kevin.

"How? Nothing like this has ever happened," I started to say. He cut me off.

"Don't worry Annabelle. All you have to do is worry about the four of you."

I took this all in. Panicking was not an option. Keeping the family together? There was a chance. Then, my mind was back on my parents.

Their ending lives. I could hear the sound of the shotgun again. Ambulance sirens were ringing in my ears. No. I lost one family. And I wasn't losing another.

"I will," I agreed. A small smile formed on my face. He smiled back.

"I know you will," He said assuring. He patted my shoulder before he got up. My eyes were on the door, until it closed behind him.

I placed my hand over my heart. It felt like nothing. My hand slowly traced to my necklace. This was the first time I had noticed it in so long.

I had it ever since my transforming stage from mortal to immortal. All of us had them. They were our family amulets.

It was a permanent reminder to me, of my dedication to this new world. To "the underworld" as they say. Connecting me to this family. The family I loved. And they loved me. I had no doubt that they could protect me.

That would definitely be the easy part. My job would be harder. The question was not could they protect me. But, could I protect them?

Chapter 15: Exposed

I was sure I had fallen asleep. Was that possible? I was standing in front of the forest. It was dark, and very foggy. My feet were planted into the ground. I looked around to find that I was alone.

And, it was quiet. It felt like I was in some kind of horror movie. I would be the helpless girl. Now, all I had to do was wait for something to pop out. I listened carefully for any screams or cries of pain.

Nothing. It wasn't a very good horror movie. Suddenly, I could hear footsteps. It sounded like someone running towards me. There was a twist to this story. I turned around, preparing to defend myself.

"Annabelle!" The voice shouted. I held my ground. Wait a minute. I could recognize that voice. Danielle! She appeared in the clearing, racing towards me.

"Annabelle! We have to get out of here!" She exclaimed. She fiercely shook my shoulders.

"What?" I heard my voice for the first time. She grabbed me by my wrist, and pulled me in the direction she came from.

"What's going on?" I asked again. She didn't answer. We kept running, until suddenly I heard a voice. Laughing.

"Stay down," Danielle whispered. We both sat down.

"What's going on?" I whispered irritated. I wanted answers, and I wanted them now.

"Stephanie got them," She whispered worriedly.

"Who?"

"Everyone. Elizabeth, Peter. Even Kevin and Amanda," She started to say. I cut her off.

"What do you mean she "got" them?" I asked still confused. I made air quotes saying, "got them".

"Look over the bushes," She replied, referring to the bushed in front of us. I sat up on my knees and carefully peaked over. They were all lying on the ground. Blood was pouring everywhere. And none of them were moving.

"No!" I whispered. I slowly turned to face Danielle. She nodded sadly.

"They did it for us. Because we're the youngest," She explained. I sat back down, and put my head on my knees.

"We have to get out of here," She murmured. I looked up at her, as she slowly stood up. I nodded.

"How?" I asked her. Suddenly, I heard someone jump behind us. We both slowly turned our heads. This was not good!

"Well, well, well. You really thought you could escape," Stephanie said. This was the first time in a long time that I had felt scared. She grabbed Danielle by her leg, and threw her over the bushes.

I peaked over to find her surrounded by four dead bodies. The bodies of people I loved. And Danielle had just made five. Then, Stephanie dived for me.

"No!" I shouted. And then, I dived into the air. This was my last chance to escape. Luckily, that movement caused me to open my eyes. I was lying on the ground next to the bed. My mind snapped out from my dream. I looked around, allowing my mind and eyes to adjust back to reality. And reality was….

I was lying on the ground and I was stuttering. My teeth were chattering inside my mouth. And what I just saw was far from reality. It was just a dream. I got up from the ground, and walked out the door. Everybody was sitting on the couch.

"It's only a matter of time, before someone realizes we're here," Elizabeth muttered.

"Maybe. But, they'll have to check the whole town first," Peter assured.

"The town is two small. They could have checked by now. For all we know, an angry mob could be headed this way," Danielle disagreed.

I stepped inside the room. They all looked up.

"Hi Annabelle. How are you?" Amanda asked. My eyes were on them I sat down on the couch.

"Ok, I guess," I said with a shrug. I still felt half asleep. Elizabeth put her head down.

"I couldn't help but overhear." Elizabeth's head suddenly shot up.

"You did?" She asked.

I nodded. I looked up at the clock. It was noon.

"Hello. And welcome to news at 12. We now take you to a phenomenal fiasco taking place live," I heard the television say.

The screen flashed to the same "Welcome" Sign that I saw the first day we moved. Groups of people were just outside the state's borderline. Some carried torches. Others were carrying pitchforks. They were all chanting. But, I couldn't make out the words.

"No sign of the Jones Family. They were not found anywhere in town. Our only option left, is the "County Side Hotel" just outside town," The voice continued.

"No!" Kevin shouted. Suddenly, I heard door slamming from downstairs. They found us!

"What do we do?" Amanda panicked. There was stomping coming from the stairs. They were getting closer to the sixth floor.

"Go!" Kevin shouted. He headed towards the balcony and jerked the door open.

"You four go. Head for the forest. Wait until dawn, before leaving. Amanda and I will follow. Now go!" He shouted impatiently, as he pointed towards the door.

Peter grabbed my arm and jerked me in that direction.

"What are you doing?" Danielle shouted. I looked at her. Elizabeth was hanging onto arm. Neither of them answered. They both threw us on their backs and flied out the window.

It was not long after that, before we were in the forest. They both released us.

"Hurry in there," Elizabeth whispered. She led the way to a bundle of bushes. Luckily, we all managed to fit inside.

"Where are they?" I whispered, as I kept my eyes on the "doorway".

"They will catch up," Peter whispered back. I leaned my head back, as my eyes stayed on the "doorway". Soon enough, it had grown dark.

I pulled my eyes from the "doorway" and looked at the top of the bundle.

"8:53," Danielle whispered. That had been the first time anyone had spoken in hours. And worst of all, Kevin and Amanda still hadn't shown up.

I wanted to peak out the "doorway". But, I was afraid of being seen. So, I stayed as quiet as I could, as I listened for anybody to come. Until, they come.

The sound of crickets chirping made reasonable background noise. But when the room had suddenly grown silent, I realized that I had fallen dreamlessly asleep. Before I knew it, I was opening my eyes. I looked around to find that everyone was still locked in the same position they had been in, since we first got here. I peeked through the crack of the "doorway" to find sunlight shining through. Dawn. Yes!

"Guys, it's morning. We can go," I whispered.

Peter got down in his hands and knees and crawled out the "doorway". I followed behind. Danielle and Elizabeth were last out. No one was around. There was no sign of anyone here; at least, not recently.

"We should go back to the hotel. The mob's bound to be gone,' Danielle said at last. Then, she started heading back. It wasn't until she was out of the forest that we raced after her.

She got to the balcony before the rest of us did. She was standing there frozen, as she was staring into space.

"Danielle? Hello?" I asked her, as I was waving my hand in front of her face. She didn't speak. What had happened? I turned to look in the same direction that she was facing. I gasped.

"What happened?" I heard Peter shout behind me. This was unbelievable.

The room was a mess. Furniture was flipped over. The television was busted. The lamp was broken on the ground. I started to walk inside.

"Careful," Danielle warned. I heard her beginning to move again.

"Kevin!" Peter shouted.

"Amanda!" I shouted.

"Somebody here?" Danielle shouted. I walked over to the closet and pulled the doors open. The only place untouched. A box on the ground caught my eye. I bent down to lift off the lid.

"It's like Halloween in there," Peter I heard Peter comment behind me. He was right. The box was loaded with wigs, costumes, everything. I picked up a short black haired wig.

"I think I have a plan," I smiled. We needed information. And we weren't going to get inside this one room.

"This wig is itchy!" Danielle complained. I rolled my eyes.

"It looks good on you, at least," Elizabeth pointed out. Her and Peter were both wearing sunglasses and hats. Elizabeth wore a brown haired wig under her hat. Danielle's "itchy" wig was a straight blond haired wig.

We passed the lobby and into the dining room. A few people were enjoying breakfast at the buffet.

"Townsfolk are crazy. Some of them came charging through the front doors of this hotel yesterday afternoon," A women whispered to the man she was sitting next to. We sat down at a table across from them.

"Excuse me?" I called over to them. They both turned around.

"Yes. Can we help you?" The man asked me.

"Um, by any chance, did they happen to take anything or anybody with them when they left?" I asked calmly. They exchanged glances before looking back at me.

"They were carrying two bags," The women replied. My eyes grew wide.

"How do you know?" I asked rather urgently. She didn't respond. Instead, she turned back around and pointed to a wall corner. My eyes followed to a television on the wall.

"Two Jones have been found. The others however, have mysteriously disappeared," The television said. On screen, it showed the mob taking two bags back into town. They were thrown inside a jail cell. The bags were ripped off of whatever was inside.

"Amanda! Kevin!" I quietly shrieked. Oh no. What could we do? Where could we go? We definitely couldn't go back now. The police thought we were murderers. Everyone did. We were innocent (besides Charlotte).

But, we couldn't convince them of that. They would not believe us. We had to make sure that we were never found. At least, not while this was going on.

"We have to clear our names," Danielle muttered. I turned back around, and thought about what she had said. That was a good idea. It was brilliant, actually!

"How?" I suddenly asked. She thought about this for a moment. Then, she stood up and started out of the room.

"Come with me," She called over her shoulder. The rest of us got up, and slowly followed behind. By the time we were back to the room, she was packing. I watched her putting all our stuff into suitcases.

"Mind letting us in on this plan of yours?" Peter asked rather impatient. Danielle went over to one of the bags and sat on it, until it closed.

"First, we relocate closer to home," She started to say. Elizabeth cut her off.

"Wait, we can't. There isn't anywhere in town to hide, remember." Now, I gave this some thought. She was right. Nowhere in town was safe. Except for… the house! That's it!

"We could hide in the house. The attic. No one would ever think to look there," I said anxiously. Whatever got me home was good enough. Unless, arriving in the back of a police car was involved.

The others were silent. They all were taking this into possible consideration.

"Let's Do it!" Peter declared. I went over to the bags to help Danielle.

"But, how can we clear our names?" I asked her.

"Find Stephanie! With enough evidence, we could get people to believe that we were framed!" She exclaimed. I smiled.

"That's good. We'll check out in an hour," Peter added. My smile suddenly faded. Thinking back on all this, made me realize something.

"Guys," I bursted out without thinking. They all looked up.

"Yeah?" Peter asked. I was searching for the right words to say. But, I wasn't exactly sure how to explain.

"I don't think the Bellards exposed us," I finally said. I suddenly regretted every word I just said. Did I really believe them to be innocent? I waited for them to reply. They all suddenly eyed me suspiciously.

"What makes you think so?" Elizabeth asked calmly. I could tell that she hoped I was kidding. But, they were taking this better than I thought they would. We all had thought they would be the culprits. We expected it to be them. I shrugged.

" I don't know. But, I think if they had, wouldn't they have come?" I finally said. They all exchanged glances. None of them understood my point. I spoke again before any of them could.

" On the news report, I didn't see them anywhere in that mob. If they were responsible for this, they would have been. So, wouldn't they be leading the mob, if they exposed us? Of course, they would. They want to make us suffer."

"Not to mention, they want to be the ones to make us suffer. They wouldn't involve anyone else. Annabelle has a point. And I think I have a pretty good idea on who is behind this," Peter chimed in.

We finished packing, and were out of there in the next hour.

We had to stay in our "disguises" in case someone saw us. I was happy when we were passing through town. I watched as the school passed and then faded, as we were heading into the forest. It had taken longer than I expected to get home.

And, we couldn't run. Not even fly. It sucked. We had to walk, like humans did. But, my misery was fading, as the house finally came into view.

"Alright. Everyone inside, and report to the attic," Peter ordered. I obeyed and raced inside the house.

But, I wasn't prepared for what was coming.

Chapter 16: Rescue

Walking into the house brought me back to our first day here. It seemed so new. And it felt so different. It was the kind of place you dreamt about. And expecting that at any moment, you would wake up and get a doze of reality. Something was different. But, I couldn't quite figure it out.

"Someone was in the house!" someone shouted from upstairs. I sped up the staircase and bursted through my bedroom door. Danielle stood in the middle of the room. She looked worried.

"Smell the air," She said, with a bit of a stutter in her voice. I shrugged. But, I did as she said. I inhaled as much air as my lungs would allow. The smell stunned me. I never smelled anything like it before. She was right. Someone had been here. But, who could it have been? When were they here? But more importantly, why?

"Who was it?" Elizabeth shouted. I nearly jumped as her and Peter bursted through the door. Danielle shook her head.

"It could have been anybody," She sighed. I took a deep breath, as I sat on the bed. What would someone want here? Well, us obviously. But, what if there was another reason.

"It couldn't have been Stephanie. By the smell, it was no vampire," Elizabeth sighed, as she shook her head. My eyes were wide. I could have misjudged my observations. The Bellards. Dillan!

"I think it was Dillan. He must have been looking for us. Looking for me. He must have thought coming here, would help him find us!' I admitted. Peter started to walk out of the room.

"Come on guys. The attic," He murmured. The rest of us followed him up the next flight of stair, and reached the attic.

"Bottom line, what should we do? We can't just sit around and hope things get better. They won't," Danielle stated. I sighed before I sat down on the ground. That was true. I made a mental to do list. So far, not working.

"To Do List"

Get Stephanie

Get the Bellards (especially Dillan)

Save Kevin and Amanda

Clear the family name

"We should bust out Kevin and Amanda. Find someway to prove us all innocent. And they'll be free," I said under my breath. Peter must have heard me. He stood up, and faced us.

"I have an idea. Danielle. You and Elizabeth find them. Find out how to get them out. Any evidence to prove to people that they're innocent."

I stood up, and started walking towards Peter.

"Annabelle. You're with me. We'll find Stephanie. We begin tonight!" The others stood up, and we all formed a circle.

"Everyone knows what to do?" He asked us, as he placed his hand in the middle of the circle. We all nodded our heads in agreement, before stacking our hands on top.

"Let's do this!" I shouted, as our hands rose into the air.

Peter and I set off, the second the sun went down. We started off on foot, in case we miss something. I kept both my eyes and mind focused on all my surroundings. There was nothing yet. And even about an hour later, we still had no luck. Peter and I stood side-by-side. That was most likely the problem.

"Maybe it's better to split up. That way, we can cover more ground faster," I suggested. He studied my face. It looked like he was trying to read my expression. I kept a straight face, which he seemed to buy.

"Ok. Meet back here in forty five minutes," He finally said. I nodded, before I raced off.

The forest seemed much bigger than I remembered. It suddenly took me back to that dream. More like a nightmare. When I decided to stop running, I was walking again.

"No wonder humans run. They take forever going at this pace," I thought. I stopped to check my senses again. My mind wandered the forest. The only sounds I heard were crickets chirping, and cars racing down the street. It felt like something was closing in on me.

I was prepared to defend myself.

My feet unstiffened from the ground. I blinked, suddenly wishing I hadn't. One minute, nothing was there. But the next, Stephanie was right in front of me. She crouched down in position, preparing to attack. I tried to remember as much strength ability as I had. And, I was afraid of it not being enough.

"Annabelle. Annabelle. Did you really think running away would possibly save you?" She taunted. But, the angrier I was feeling, the more strength I was uncovering.

"So weak, and helpless. Little Annabelle Jones. You're just like those humans." It's payback time! I jumped and threw her back. She growled fiercely at me.

"You'll pay for that you dirty leech!" She screamed. I tried to move. But I wasn't fast enough. She pounced on top of me. I struggled, but it did nothing. Any strength I had wasn't good. It wasn't enough. Stephanie was much too strong.

"I can't fight you!" I shrieked, as I continued to struggle. She just laughed at me.

I stopped struggling. What was the use? We both knew how this was going to end. And, there was nothing I could do about it. I can't beat her. I can't even fight her. Not alone.

Suddenly Stephanie was off me. I jumped up onto my feet, while I still had a chance. It looked like someone was fighting her. And by the look of it, she wasn't standing a chance. Someone was helping me.

"Annabelle run!" A voice shouted. I did as they said.

As I was running, I suddenly recognized that voice. It was someone whose voice I knew anywhere. The last person I expected to see here.

My enemy. Dillan. Why is he here? Wait, of course. He wanted Stephanie out of the way, so he can finish me off himself. No way. I had to think fast.

He'll probably come looking for me soon enough. I dived into the tree above me, and sat on the branches. It wasn't long before I heard footsteps coming this way.

"Annabelle? Annabelle where are you?" He shouted. I could now see him. I smiled. Perfect! As soon as he was standing below me, I dived out of the tree and pelted him to the ground.

"Annabelle! What the heck! I just saved your life and this is my thank you!" He exclaimed. I got off him, and started shouting.

" You just want to finish me off, since exposing my family didn't seem to do the job!" he got up off the ground. My arms folded across my chest. He frowned at me.

"What are you talking about?" He asked me, still sounding annoyed. He still wasn't getting over being tackled to the ground. Not to mention the more clueless he was acting, the angrier I was getting.

"Oh, Don't go all innocent on me. You didn't think I suffered enough. Do you realize how many people are after me and my family?" I exclaimed. I turned around, and ran off in another direction.

Why couldn't he just confess to what he did, and get it over with? He wasn't doing himself any good. And, it wasn't doing me any good either. So, why was I still here?

It's because, I'm actually listening to this. Haven't I learned my lesson in the last couple of weeks?

No matter how much I pull myself out, he keeps pulling me back in.

I stopped where I now was. By now, I had to be far enough away. Hopefully, I could get home, before he finds me again.

But as I started walking again, I felt a sudden grip around my wrist. Ugh. Apparently, I hadn't gone far enough.

"What is that suppose to mean? I don't have any idea what you're talking about?" He asked. Dillan sounded confused. Like he didn't know anything about this. I forced my arm away from him,

"If you're trying to trick me, it's not going to work. I know what you did. You exposed us on television! You sent the town after us. And, you were in my room! Amanda and Kevin are in jail! You've jeopardized my whole life!" I screamed. He stared at me blankly. Why? What is with him?

"Look. I don't know what you're all upset about. I didn't tell anybody. Stephanie did. She knows about your plan, to frame her. Clear your family name. She's been on to you the whole time. Well, except for the room invasion. She didn't go in your room. It was…. It was me," He explained.

Wait a minute. Stephanie? She's responsible for this. How did I not see it coming?

Oh yeah, Dillan. But wait, did he just say he was in my room?

"Aha!" I exclaimed. "You were there. You wanted payback. So you attacked Stephanie so you could get rid of me yourself!" I turned around, refusing to look at him.

"Just go. Leave me alone," I choked out. I wanted to cry. So much. I put my hands on both my cheeks. They were dry. I hadn't cried in years, nor will I ever again. My hands slowly dropped to my sides.

"Annabelle, turn around," He said in a low voice. I shook my head. He spun me around, and placed both of his hands on my shoulders. But, my eyes stayed down.

"Listen to me Annabelle. I've several chances to kill you. Several. And I've fought back all of them. Trust me. If I wanted to kill you, if I wanted you dead, you would be," He said lowly but calmly.

My body was a lot less stiff now. And, my eyes were beginning to soften. I looked up at him. Dillan was staring deep into my eyes. He really wanted me to believe every word that I was hearing. But, were these the words I wanted to hear? And, how do I know if they're even true?

"I still can't trust you," I said honestly. I kept my eyes locked on his. The expression on his face did not change. What was I doing? He's sucking me in again. I know he can't be trusted. My eyes suddenly dropped.

"No! No! No! I hate you Dillan. A lot. You hate me. We're enemies. That's how it is," I whispered. He softly brushed one of his hands across my cheek. I felt his warm touch across my cheek. But that thought? The thought of Dillan touching me in a way, that wasn't murdering me? That wasn't right. What is he really up to?

"Why," He asked. I definitely didn't see that coming. My eyes were back on him. Something was telling me that this was another set up. That, his family could very well be hiding in the bushes.

Another part was telling me to shut up and listen to him. I could be taking this all-wrong. But, was that even possible?

The sound of his voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Think about it. Do you really hate me? Or is it because you think you hate me? Because we think we're supposed to hate each other, just because we're different?" He calmly spoke. Now, the expression on my face had grown soft. Dillan was telling the truth. Both of his hands suddenly dropped from my shoulders. He held out one hand.

"Friends?" He asked, now smiling. It was a real smile. He was serious. He didn't want to be enemies anymore. I held out my hand to shake his.

"Friends," I agreed. I felt a smile now on my face. The feeling of our hands against each other, had taken me back to that day at school.

That had been the first time. Only that time, I had my gloves on. If it hadn't been so cold in the classroom, I would have felt the same sparks that I was feeling now.

After we shook on it, our hands dropped. But, he didn't let go of my hand. My eyes stayed locked on his. Part of me said to run. Another said to attack. Not to trust a word he says. Stick with the original plan. Get him before he gets you. But, there was one part left. It said:

_"Listen to him. Make peace. Follow your heart. It will lead you in the right direction. It already is."_

That was whom I was going to listen to. Only, it brought new feelings to me. Feelings I had never had before. They were feelings unlike any other kind. I was now allowing my heart to explore them.

"Annabelle!" I snapped out of it. Dillan dropped my hand. And my smile faded.

"Annabelle, where are you?" Peter shouted again. Peter! I had to get out of here.

"I gotta go," I muttered. I started running as fast I could.

"Come back. One week from tomorrow, at seven a clock," He shouted. I stopped in my tracks, to turn around.

"I will," I promised, as I shot him a quick smile. Then, I turned back around, and started racing off again.

"Peter!" I shouted.

"Annabelle. Follow the sound of my voice." It wasn't long after that, before I found him.

"Come on. Let's get home before someone sees us. Especially those Bellards." He shuddered at the last word. I faked a smile. I had almost forgot about my family. What would they say to this? Most likely, they would not take it well. But, for now, I planned to keep it our little secret.

From the moment I met him. And then, I thought of now. He was another person. And, I had now seen another side to him. It was…. Nice. I liked seeing him this way. And the thought of him, now made me jump. It made my legs wobble and I would breath heavily. I questioned why I ever hated him in the first place.

In one night, I took all of this in. And by the end of the night, things had become clear. How I really feel about him. And the pros and cons that came with it. It got me to think, what would you do in this kind of situation?

What if you loved your mortal enemy? What if you were willing to save the life of the one you were supposed to kill? What would you do, even if it mean't risking your life?

Chapter 17: A Hero

Dillan:

Stay calm. That's what I have to keep telling myself. But, it wasn't making me feel any better. I was waiting around Annabelle's table. Preparing myself for the moment where they would all walk in. Hopefully, I could explain things to her, and she'll listen to me. That is, if she doesn't attack me first.

"Dillan!" I kept hearing Sam shout. I pretended not to hear him. I stood around the table, until the lunch bell rang.

By now, the lunchroom was full. But, Annabelle still wasn't here. And to make things worse, I wasn't even sitting down by the ti9me that Sam and Caroline started shouting at me.

"Dillan, why weren't you listening to us? Didn't you hear us shouting your name?" Caroline asked.

"Well, um." Sam's eyes grew wide.

"Oh, I get it. You were waiting for the Jones to come, so you could tell them off," He realized. I bit my lip. They seemed to believe that. But, it was nothing I wanted to be proud of.

"Ok. Don't make a scene like you did yesterday," Caroline begged on our way to the classroom. I nodded.

I wanted to tell them the truth. But, I already knew how that would turn out.

"You can count on me," I assured her. But when we walked into the room, I nearly dropped to the ground. Annabelle was gone. Elizabeth too.

"At least class will be easy today," Caroline commented, as she took her seat. I sat down. A flood of disappointment took over me. My head was down the whole class.

"What's up?" Caroline kept whispering. I kept acting like I didn't hear her. By next period, I stayed slumped in my seat. Not to mention, the car ride home. It was too long. And no one was speaking. Sam kept his eyes on the road, as Caroline glanced from time to time at me through the rearview mirror.

She'll find out eventually. I just know it. But, what I was mainly concerned about was, why am I upset?

Once we were home, I raced out of the car, and right passed Jeff and Emily. They had been standing there to welcome us. I went over to the couch and plopped on top, staying as still as a statue.

"What's with Dillan?" Emily asked them. Sam and Caroline both shrugged.

"We don't know," they said in unison. Ugh. I didn't even know what was wrong. But, asking sure wasn't going to help me figure out. I placed my hands over my eyes, to block out the light. I felt the couch shake, as Emily sat down. She removed my hands from my eyes.

"Please guys," I moaned. I turned around to lie flat on my stomach. I buried my face in the couch cushion.

"Dillan honey. If something's bothering you, we want to help," Emily said. I could now feel her hand running across my back.

"I don't even know," I answered honestly.

"At least, the Jones weren't at school today," Caroline pointed out. I felt like my heart rate stopped. That didn't make me feel better. My head lifted up a bit. But my eyes stayed down. I got up and headed for the stairs.

It felt so good, to lie down on my bed. In my room, I was at peace. My mind would wander. Anything could come to my mind, despite how random it may seem. Nothing that came to my mind was interesting me. So, I decided to go out for a run. Clearing my mind helped me so much.

And, Lying in the grass helped me even more. I lied down and shut my eyes, as I listened to the world around me. The grass tickled, as it lightly brushed against my hands. The smell of flowers and honey were in my nose.

It relaxed my mind, Birds chirping and the sound of the wind blowing against the trees was like music to my ears. Amazing, nature was. It perfected everything: Music. Beauty. Serenity. If only heaven were like this.

Then, I would never leave. I imagined myself sitting in a meadow. The grass was so green. And the plants were so beautiful. Deer were frolicking through the plants. I felt like a little kid in a candy shop. This was the kind of fantasy that you never wanted to end.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a knock. My eyes shot open, and my thoughts took me back to my room. I never left, though I wish I did.

"What?" I shouted.

"Dillan, can I come in?" I heard Jeff say through the crack of the doorway. Good. Just the person I needed to talk to. I sat up, and rested my head against the wall.

"Yes. Come in," I finally said. The door swung open, and he walked in.

"Hey buddy. How are you?" He asked excitedly. I stared in confusion.

"Fine. What's up?" I asked him.

"Thought I could, spend sometime with my son. You up for it?" He asked, as he held out one hand. I stared at him for a long moment. Getting out of the house for real did sound like a good idea. I got up from the bed.

"Sure!" I started out the door. We took my car. It began to rain, just as we were leaving. There was no thunder. Not yet, anyway. I kept my eyes on the road. Jeff insisted on me driving. I listened now and then for directions. But, I had no idea where I was being taken.

Twenty minutes into our drive, we were just outside city. We just passed "County Side Hotel". It was such a luxurious hotel. It was the best one in the state. And even we weren't rich enough to afford just one night there. I broke the silence.

"Where are we going?" I asked him. We came to a stoplight. But, my eyes stayed fixed on the road.

"You'll see," was all he said. The stoplight turned green, and I pressed my foot lightly on the gas pedal. The rain was starting to clear up, and the sun was coming out. It was silent again. Before I knew it, we were entering Juneau. So, I knew we were about an hour from home.

There was hardly any traffic. I kept driving. About ten minutes into the city, Jeff spoke again.

"Turn at the next left." I did as I was told, and turned the wheel to pull into the parking lot that came up. As I searched for an open spot, I couldn't help but notice something.

There were two buildings that were filled with clothing. And, that was all I saw. What were we doing, shopping? I finally found a spot, and slowly stopped the car. I got out, my eyes wandering everywhere.

"We're going to the batting cages!" He announced. I looked over at him. Jeff got out of the car and began to head towards one of the buildings.

I followed behind, as I watched the other buildings pass by. It surprised me to see him pass both buildings. I finally managed to catch on, when I finally saw actual batting cages.

"This was the easiest way to get here. No other roads lead here," Jeff explained. I heard myself "oh" in my head. Now this was the kind of bonding that I hoped for.

I suddenly got an image of Jeff and me in those stores. Dresses. Make-up. Ugh! The others would never let me hear the end of that. We walked up to the check in desk.

"May I help you?" The women behind the counter asked us. She had curly blond hair. And wore clothes that would better fit the seventies. I was pretty sure that Emily had something similar in her closet.

She almost reminded me of Elizabeth, Annabelle's eighteen-year-old sister. The women's earrings stood out the most. They were hoops with hearts on the ring part.

It suddenly flashed me back to the Jones. They always wore these necklaces. They looked more like amulets, though. They looked rather old. But, they seemed pretty delicate. They were light black colored, and ring shaped.

Yellow dots surrounded it. There was a red heart in the middle that was connected to the ring in four different angles. There were even two daggers that crossed both each other, and the heart. Not to mention, the heart had a "J" for Jones on it. My attention was back on Jeff.

"The two of us, for an hour please," He politely responded. He handed her a few dollar bills. She took the bills, and put two passes into his hand.

"Have fun," She said, without the slightest bit of any interest. She pressed a button that unlocked the gate. Only three of around ten cages were occupied. We took one of the ones in the middle of them all.

Baseball was definitely a good way to relax. It was helping even more than my daydream back home.

"Son, is something the matter?" Jeff asked me, as I headed out of the cage. The question caught me off guard. What expression was my face showing? Did I look upset? Or was it because Emily had asked.

"I think something might be. But the thing is, I can't figure it out," I answered. I handed him the bat and helmet before I went to the bench to sit down.

After Jeff hit a few balls, he switched the machine off, and sat down on the bench next to me. He patted my shoulder. My eyes were on my lap.

"Are their any problems going on with you?" He asked. I didn't have to give it much thought. If there were a problem, I would have taken care of it by now.

"Nope. This is so confusing," I groaned. I stood up. Jeff stayed seated.

"That's rather odd. I don't see what else could be wrong," He responded. He got up, and headed for the front counter to check out. The car ride home was a lot more "social" than the dead silence of the ride coming.

Jeff asked me different questions to try and figure out the purpose of my depression. Stress. Not getting enough sleep. Even, if I was angry with somebody. But, these were just a few. I told Jeff and Emily that I was too tired, when we got home. I raced passed everyone on my way upstairs.

Looking at the clock wall, I could see that it was four in the afternoon. It didn't matter. I turned on my stereo, and turned up the volume just enough to blend in the background. My eyes were drowsy.

I tried to remember the last time I felt happy. It was the day in class that I picked on Annabelle. That was the day before she disappeared. But, there was no way that my depression could have anything to do with her absence.

And thinking back on that day, I saw how much I hurt her. I was being such a jerk to her. I deserved that week of detention. Not to mention, that lecture from Mrs. Anderson. I wasn't a friend to her, when she needed one. Instead, I was a jerk.

But, no more! I would tell her tomorrow, now that I saw her as something different. She wasn't dangerous. Not a threat at all. She was a hero. My hero.

And first thing tomorrow, I would find her and tell her that. My eyes were slowly dropping. And, my daydream began where it left off.

Chapter 18: Time Running Out

The next day was worse. Not to mention, the next few that came with it. Annabelle still wasn't back. But, I was still hoping to walk into class one day, to find her there. Or Elizabeth? Peter? I didn't care. One of them had to listen to me.

Time was beginning to run out. Stephanie would find her. Maybe even me. But, I was getting worried.

What if she finds Annabelle before I do? What if she already had? Annabelle could be… I couldn't even think the word.

"Dillan. You have to see this!" I heard from the living room. I closed the front door, and joined the others.

"They were finally exposed. I wonder who ran them out of town?" Sam smiled. Wait. Exposed? As what vampires, or murderers?

"None of you did?" I asked them rather confused. I would have thought that one of them would have turned them in. That was the plan from the start.

" I wish. Whoever did was sneaky," Caroline whispered. She sounded jealous. And a bit impressed. Oh no! I never thought I would think this, but the thought of her in trouble. It hurt.

"I'm going for a walk," I told them, before heading back out the door. I had to find her. Was she aware of this? Well probably. She must be hiding. No wonder she's been gone. But, I still had to find out where.

I looked everywhere in town. But no matter where I looked, I still had no luck. I could feel my heart rate speeding up. I was feeling scared for her. The only place I still hadn't checked was her house. Her house. Yes! But, I had checked every house in town.

Which house could be hers? Oh wait. Vampires. Forest. Duh. I raced through the forest, turning at every corner that I saw. Trees. Trees. Oh look? Trees.

When I finally reached the end, a building appeared. Wait. A house. Wow. It was such a cool place. It was even bigger than my house. This tall tan house was made my house look like a trailer park. This had to be her house.

I went up to the front porch, and lightly tapped on the door. A few minutes passed. It was quiet. Maybe they couldn't hear me. Or they know I'm at the door and refuse to be seen.

I put my hand on the doorknob, and slowly turned it. The door swung open. Why was it unlocked? I stepped inside.

The sunlight nearly blinded me. There was so much furniture. And the house was loaded with designs all over the walls. It made me think of a hotel suite.

"Hello," I called. It was still quiet. If they didn't know I was here before, they sure would now.

"Annabelle. Please talk to me! I don't want to hurt you. I'm here to help you!" I shouted again. They probably weren't buying it. Either that, or nobody really was here. They must be someplace else. But where else could they be?

I raced up the stairs and bursted through each door I found. I kept at it, until I found the room I was looking for.

It was Annabelle's room. All the blinds were open. And a bed was in the middle of the room. There were shelves everywhere. And a giant flat screen was plastered on the wall.

I noticed another door, just below a giant clock. I opened the door, to find it empty. There were only a few pairs of shoes and a bag that I recognized. The same one she carried around school.

It felt like it had been so long, since I last saw her there. And, maybe that would be the last time. What if she never comes back? I couldn't live with myself. This whole thing was my fault.

Why did I care so much that she was what she is? Now I just… miss her. My eyes flashed back to the shelves. There were a few different pictures. One had a man and women. They both had brown hair, and held a little baby in their arms.

That was Annabelle. Those must have been her parents. I wonder, what had happened to them? The next picture was Annabelle now, with her new family.

Kevin and Amanda were her new parents. And Elizabeth, Danielle, and Peter were her new siblings. I was pretty sure that Peter and Elizabeth, like Kevin and Amanda were together.

The other two were alone. Annabelle was alone. I wanted to be there for her. The thought of seeing her, brought butterflies in my stomach. I could feel my face heating up. And, my legs wee wobbly. I had to sit down.

I sat on the bed. Her bed. This had been the first time in weeks, I felt… Happy. My heart was starting to flutter and racing fast in my chest.

This was such a weird feeling. Was I sick? Was something wrong with me? I remembered hearing Jeff telling us when he had met Emily. That was how he felt when he started to love her.

Wait. Love? Annabelle? Me? Love? Was I falling in love? I looked over the pictures again. It was like I no longer saw her as a vampire. She was something more. Much more.

I remembered the first time I ever had spoken to her. She was… nice. Very kind. She was so loving, so down to earth. Not to mention, beautiful. I was stupid.

Why couldn't I see this sooner? How could I possibly hate her? No. I didn't. Not anymore. She was the love of my life. But, I was the enemy of hers.

If I ever saw her again, I could try and change that. But, if I hadn't cared so much about her not being human, she'd be here. Instead of in the arms of danger, she would be in mine. I wanted to hold her close to me, and never wanting to let go.

To bury my face into her hair. To run one hand through her hair, while the other stroked her cheek. To hear her voice. Have her smile at me, as I would smile back. I wanted to know everything about her.

Suddenly, I felt a buzz in my pocket. Shoot. I took my phone from my pocket, and pressed the "talk" button. There was only one voice I wanted to here. But, I already knew who it was.

"Hello?" I answered. I got up from the bed, and ran down the stairs. Hopefully, no one had seen me here.

"Dillan, where are you?" Emily asked. She sounded frantic. They must have started a search party for me.

"On my way home. I was in town," I lied. I wished I didn't have to lie. But, I knew how she would react, if she knew the truth.

"Ok. Come straight home!" She ordered. I was already halfway there.

"I'll be there soon mom," I replied before pressing the "end" button. When I finally saw the house, I also saw Sam waiting for me.

"Where the heck have you been?" He asked anxiously. He grabbed my arm, and started to pull me into the house. I felt a sighed of relief. None of them knew of my "little detour." As soon as we reached the kitchen he released me. Emily rushed frantically towards me.

"Next time you go out, please tell me where you're going," She begged. Sam groaned in frustration.

"I promise," I assured her. She pulled me into a tight hug. I softly moaned. She released me, and pulled me towards the table. Everyone else had already started dinner. I took my seat, beside her as she sat down. I didn't look up from my plate. Everyone's eyes were definitely on me.

"So, why were you in town?" Jeff asked. I looked up, as I picked up my fork.

"Nothing really. I just needed some air." I picked up some food with my fork, and slowly took a bite. My eyes shifted to each of them. I had been right. All of them were staring at me.

"You looked like something was wrong earlier. But, now you're in a better mood. Was something bothering you?" Caroline asked as she got up from the table to put her dishes on the counter. My eyes were fixed back on my plate.

"I just needed to clear my mind, that's all," I lied again. Lying sucked. But, being honest at this point would only suck more. I continued to eat.

"Did you happen to see an angry mob march by?" Sam asked eagerly. I looked up at him. That didn't make any sense.

"No," I mumbled. I got up with my dishes, while I chugged down my glass of water.

"Oh. Well, we've been hearing them all afternoon," He added. I just shrugged.

"They're so close to finding the Jones!" Caroline chanted. My plate nearly dropped inside the sink. No one appeared to have noticed. I raced out of the room, and raced upstairs. I dived onto the bed.

Oh no! Annabelle. My Annabelle was in danger. What if she gets hurt? Or dies? I didn't want her, or even her family to suffer. They are innocent.

And now, Stephanie was now seeking revenge on them. I wish we could trade places. If I could, I would dies in the place of my love. All I wanted was for her to be safe.

If only I knew her whereabouts. For Annabelle, I was willing. For her, I would even join her family, much to Emily's dismay. I was overprotective. That's what I was.

She doesn't deserve this. Instead, she should have death as far away from her as possible. But as it stands, her and her family were next in line. Not if I could help it.

Come tomorrow, I will find Stephanie! I will find Annabelle. Bring her back to me. Get everything back to normal.

And hope my family could do the same. Have a clean slate. Join everyone together. Bring two families together, instead of breaking both.

Chapter 19: Hunting

"Yes!" Everyone's shouting startled me. I fell out of my bed, and landed on the ground.

"Ugh!" I moaned. I could hear a lot of pounding on the door.

"Dillan! Get up. You have to see this. They've been caught!" Emily shouted. Wait. They were caught? Oh no. Annabelle!

"Coming!" I panicked. I was out of the room instantly, nearly tripping on the staircase. Jeff grabbed my hand and sat me on the couch.

"What is going on?" I demanded. I hoped there was a different "they" that they were speaking of.

"Look! Look!" Sam pointed to the screen. I couldn't believe it. Kevin and Amanda… in…in…jail?

"Two Jones have been found. The others however, have mysteriously disappeared," The news reporter added. They all groaned in unison.

"Dang it!" Sam shouted.

"At least two of them were caught," Emily stated. I rolled my eyes.

"Only two! The other four are still out there!" Caroline exclaimed. My eyes closed, as my hands were rubbing my head.

"Please be a dream. Please be a dream," I repeated over and over in my head. But when my eyes reopened, nothing had changed. Dang it!

I wished they wouldn't be as amused. And, actually want to help them. Good luck with convincing them that. I couldn't bring myself to this conversation. Any mention of it, I would chime in.

From there, I had no chance of stopping myself from blurting out the truth. But, they would be like Annabelle in this situation. No way, will they believe me!

"I'll bet it was Stephanie!" I blurted out. They all stared in my direction. Why did I say that?

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked me. That was why I should think through my questions and comments. I'll know how to respond. I stayed quiet. I felt Emily's hand on my shoulder.

"Dillan?" She asked concerned. Obviously, I had to tell them something.

"Think about it," was all I said. Ok. That wasn't very original. But then again, that was true.

"Stephanie wanted revenge on them," I added. Then, they all got it.

"Oh!" Caroline realized. I shrugged. There had to be something I could do. And after giving it some thought, I had a plan!

That night, I waited for them all to be downstairs. That way, I could sneak out through my window. From downstairs, I could hear the news blasting. No one was talking. Maybe, they all fell asleep. But, I had enough time to be back, before anyone notices that I left.

Hopefully. I knew what to do. And I was ready. I pulled back the windowsill, before diving off into the night.

"Ah!" I cried. It was too dark. And I failed to realize a tree coming up. Whatever. I took off, keeping my eye out for anything. About halfway into the forest, I stopped. My eyes drifted in every direction. I couldn't see anything.

"Keep going. A few steps at a time," I kept telling myself. About twenty steps later, I stopped again. As I was about to inhale as much air as I could, someone screamed.

Wait. I knew that scream. Annabelle! I raced as fast as I could.

"I can't fight you!" I heard her scream. Her voice was clearer now. She was on the other side of these bushes.

"I'm coming Annabelle!" I shouted through my mind. I took a few steps back. And then, I was racing in her direction. She was fighting Stephanie! I could not let Annabelle lose! She would not die! Stephanie had not appeared to see me; I tossed away from Annabelle, and fought her off.

"Annabelle run!" I shouted. She got up, and ran off in another direction. Stephanie was mad.

"She's getting away!" She shouted. She tried standing up. But, I grabbed her by her ankle and tossed her to the ground.

"Leave her alone!" I shouted. It had taken longer than I thought, before I finally wore her down. She got up from off the ground.

"I will get you!" She swore. And then, she was off. At least, she wasn't anywhere near Annabelle. But now, she had to be found. I started walking the same direction she had taken off in.

"Annabelle? Annabelle where are you?" I called. No one replied. She must have figure out I was here. But the next second, I was on the ground. Annabelle was just above me. She was holding me down. But by the look on her face, she wasn't happy to see me.

"Annabelle! What the heck! I just saved you and this is my thank you!" I exclaimed. I wasn't apart of this, and she seemed like I had thrown danger her way. She let me up. But, her expression did not change.

" You just want to finish me off, since exposing us didn't seem to do the job!" She shouted, as her arms folded across her chest. What does that mean? How can she still hate me? I frowned.

"What are you talking about?" I asked her. I wished I hadn't said that. It only made her angrier.

"Oh, Don't go all innocent on me. You didn't think I suffered enough. Do you realize how many people are after me and my family?" She shouted. Annabelle raced off in the other direction. She was mad about something. And I had to find out what it was. I raced off after her. She had stopped. She was standing there, but she didn't say anything.

I slowly started to walk towards her. Getting too close was probably not the best idea. So, I stopped just a few feet behind her. She stayed quiet. Whatever. I'll risk it. I walked closer to her, so I could grab her by her wrist. I didn't want her to leave.

"What is that suppose to mean? I don't have any idea what you are talking about?" I asked her again. I was still confused. What had I done? Why wouldn't she just tell me? She shrugged her arm away.

"If you're trying to trick me, then it's not going to work. I know what you did. You exposed us on television! You sent the town after us. And, you were in my room! Amanda and Kevin are in jail! You've jeopardized my whole life!" She screamed. Now, she was furious. It was kind of cute. And so was she. But, I had to focus. She needed to the truth. Part being what she had said. She knew I was in her room. But, did she really know why?

Look. I don't know what you're all upset about. I didn't tell anybody. Stephanie did. She knows about your plan, to frame her. Clear your family name. She's been on to you the whole time. Well, except for the room invasion. She didn't go in your room. It was…. It was me," I calmly explained. Shoot. Why did I say that? I had just given her the wrong impression.

"Aha!" She exclaimed.

"You were there. You wanted payback. So you attacked Stephanie so you could get rid of me yourself!" Annabelle turned around, avoiding my eye contact. I was now a few feet behind her again.

"Just go. Leave me alone," She choked out. Oh great! I'm only hurting her more. She sounded like she was going to cry. I now felt worse. Hurting my love was worse than hurting myself.

"Annabelle, turn around," I said in a low voice. She shook her head. I reached my arm out, to spin her around. I placed both my hands on her shoulders. She didn't try to escape. But, she still refused to look at me.

"Listen to me Annabelle. I have had several chances to kill you. Several. And I've fought back them all. Trust me. If I wanted to kill you, if I wanted you dead, you would be." She looked up at me. Her eyes were starting to soften. Did she believe me?

"I still can't trust you," She said honestly. Her eyes did not leave mine. She suddenly looked like she was coming to some sort of realization. Her eyes suddenly dropped.

"No! No! No! I hate you Dillan. A lot. You hate me. We're enemies. That's how it is," She whispered. One of my hands dropped. I lifted it to softly brush it across her cheek, before I placed it back on her shoulder.

I did not expect her to say that. But, her words reminded me of the ones I had said to Mrs. Anderson.

"Why," I chimed in. "Think about it. Do you really hate me? Or is it because you think you hate me? Because we think we're supposed to hate each other, just because we're different?" I was growing on her now.

This was the first time tonight I was really calm. Annabelle believed me. I was planning to show her. She had no reason not to. Both of my hands dropped from her shoulders. I held out one hand.

"Friends?" I asked. I smiled at her, as warmly as I could. She still seemed a bit suspicious. But, she finally looked up, and one of her hands reached out to mine.

"Friends," She agreed. Then, came that smile. The smile I'd been waiting so long for. I gained her trust. And now, she had mine.

After our hands shook, they dropped. But, I didn't let go of hers. She appeared to have noticed. Only this time, she didn't shake her hand away. I loved the way her hand felt against mine.

And I could tell by the look on her face, she did too. I suddenly felt that same spark I did the first time our hands touched. Only that time, I couldn't feel her icy skin against my warm hand. I wished this moment could last forever.

"Annabelle!" I suddenly heard. I dropped her hand. Her smile faded. Her brother Peter was looking for her. Dang it. I wanted to spend more time with her.

"Annabelle, where are you?" Peter shouted again. Peter! I had to get out of here.

"Um, I gotta go," She muttered. Annabelle started to run off.

"Come back. One week from tomorrow, at seven a clock," I shouted to her. She suddenly stopped, to throw me a quick smile.

"I will," She vowed.

"Peter!" She shouted. By now, Annabelle was no longer in the clearing. By now, I decided that it was time to go home. As I started to walk, my mind was still in a daze. I had felt something between Annabelle and me. Something special. Something amazing. It was like a dream.

And to my relief, this was actually real. I was in love. Times like this, I wish that I read minds. How I wanted to desperately hear her thoughts.

What did she feel? About the hand touch? About tonight? But more importantly… me? The expression that had been on her face had mean't something. Then again, it may not have.

It had only been a few minutes ago, since she had stopped hating me. I got her to say "yes" as friends. To be more? I doubt it. She thought nothing else. No way she felt something "amazing" between us. And, now way did she love me.

But, I wanted to know; what did she think? Should I tell her how I feel? And if so, what would she say? Would she freak out? Think I was crazy? Avoid me? Love me back? If I got lucky.

But so far, I had bad luck pouring down on me. Tonight, had been my only miracle. But, the two of us- could be a problem.

I was a vampire hunter. Trained to kill vampires. And unfortunately, Annabelle was one. But, I did not want to hurt her. However, the same thing could not be said for the rest of my family. They wanted to hurt my Annabelle.

By now, I was finally home. As I turned the knob and pushed open the door, the house was surprisingly quiet.

The whole house was dark. I headed for the stairs, and quietly began walking up them. When, I reached the top, I quietly peeked in each room.

Everyone was asleep. Wow. The first night I wouldn't be "harassed" on my whereabouts. I started to walk into my bedroom. The clock read "11:21pm". They must be tired.

But, I wasn't. There wasn't anything I could do, though. Times like this, I almost wanted to be a vampire. No sleeping. Annabelle. Flying.

They were so strong. And the best part would be, Annabelle. I wouldn't have to have a forbidden friendship with her. I decided to go to sleep. With nothing else to do, sleep sounded good.

I lay on top of the covers, no blankets and rested my head on my pillow. My eyes were shut. But, my mind and my heart were with my Annabelle.

Chapter 20: Two Worlds Collide

Annabelle: 

One week passed. It was finally the day. Tonight, is when I get to see Dillan again. It was so hard to believe that it had been that long, since I realized I was in love with him.

He was a vampire hunter, with me being the vampire. But, I trusted him. He had even said he wouldn't kill me. But this time, I would be prepared just in case.

Only when I thought of him, I didn't see a hunter. Instead, I saw him. He was so sweet, not to mention very good looking. His voice was like a wind chime in my ears. He was too perfect. It was too overpowering, even for me.

I continued to look at my clock over and over again. But, it only made the day slow down. I was too anxious about tonight. But at the same time, I was also afraid. What am I supposed to say to the others? They couldn't know about Dillan and me.

Wait. There is no Dillan and me. No. He didn't want to be more.

After all, he said "Friends", and shook my hand. He did not sweep me off my feet, and pull me into his arms. This was no fairy tale. This was no fantasy.

We don't belong as "one." It couldn't happen. My family wants him dead. And his, wants me dead. I looked up and glanced at the clock for the thousandth time.

"5:22pm". Ugh! Over an hour left. I looked back down. I'd been lying down on my bed all day long.

On the bright side, we weren't all cooped up in the attic anymore. But, we still had to lay low. Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Who is it?" I shouted.

I threw my hands over my eyes. Suddenly, Peter bursted through the door.

"Turn on the TV!" He shouted. I jumped up.

'What?" I asked him. Peter grabbed the remote from off the dresser, and pressed the "on" button.

"We are now live at "County Jail" where we were asked to bring you this report," The news reporter on screen said. They were now showing us the inside of the jail.

Kevin and Amanda! My eyes grew wide. My eyes flashed to Peter.

"Keep watching," He muttered.

I nodded before turning my head back to the screen. The news lady was now standing outside the jail cell. Kevin and Amanda were sitting on the bench inside.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jones have scheduled a live broadcast. Go ahead," She continued. She handed the microphone to them. Kevin got up, and grabbed the microphone from her hand. He held the microphone close to him.

"I know most of you are looking for the others. Annabelle, Elizabeth, Peter, and Danielle. But, you should leave them alone. I'm the one responsible for everything. They have nothing to do with this. So, please leave them alone. Don't blame them. Blame me," He stated.

Amanda came up next to him.

"Please! Leave them alone!" She pleaded. Kevin handed the microphone back to the news lady, before he followed Amanda back to the bench and sat back down.

"They're taking the fall," I said astonished.

"I know," Peter agreed. He got up and walked out closing the door behind him. I plopped back down on the bed. My eyes were now closed.

"So, how did you become like this?" Dillan asked me later on that night. We were both sitting in the grass, right by the creek. It was dark, aside from the moonlight's reflection in the water. My eyes were on the reflection. But, I could feel his eyes on me.

"Well," I muttered. I looked up at him. He was staring at me curiously. My eyes were fixed on him.

"It all started in the year 1735. Kevin was first," I responded. Dillan reached out his hand to lightly touch mine.

"How?" He asked. I felt my breathing stop. I very well remembered the stories. But, I hadn't thought of them in so long.

My eyes dropped. "Robert. He… He attacked him," I choked out. I felt his hand under my chin, to lift it up forcing me to look at him.

"Wow! You're serious," He said a bit surprised. The look in his eyes showed the same feelings I felt. He was trying to understand me. I slowly nodded.

"Amanda had been next. See, she was pregnant. About a few weeks away from her delivery, Kevin left. After what had happened to him, he knew what risk he would be putting her at. "

"But one day, he could hear screaming. She was in the delivery room at the "Denver Hospital". Something had gone terribly wrong. The baby died," I explained.

He had a pleading look in his eyes. Like all of this was important to him. He actually listened to me. It was a good quality in him. I respected that.

"But Amanda made it," He added. I slowly nodded again.

"So, who was next?" He asked curiously.

"Peter. It was about 115 years later in 1850. He was saved from a near drowning experience," I answered. He dropped his hand from my face. Both of them were folded in his lap.

"How?" He asked. A small smile formed on his face. Now, I was nervous. If I were human, I'd blush. He appeared to notice my expression. What was going on in his mind?

"Well, he was hanging out with some friend by his backyard pool. He was dared to hold his breath for thirty minutes. Thirty. Five minutes into the dare, his friends disappeared. See, they were supposed to let him know when to return to the surface."

I stopped. This story scared me the most. It made you really think. Who could you trust? And, who just wasn't worth it. I took a deep breath, before I continued.

"He began to feel lightheaded. And, slowly began to blackout. He said the last thing he saw, was Kevin."

"So, is it easy to adjust to this sort of life?"

"No, Not at first. None of our human lives have ended well. All of us described it in the same ways. Throughout the transformation, you would wish you were dead," I whispered.

He gulped. His smile suddenly dropped.

"So, obviously it is not pleasant," I added. He nodded.

"What exactly is the "transformation"?" He asked, making air quotes.

"A bite. It doesn't matter where. But, that is the worst part of it all. Based on how much is in you, depends on how long it will take?" I answered. The thought brought me back to my own transformation. It had taken a few minutes. And, it's not at all pleasant.

"That's weird," He commented.

"If you think that's weird, Elizabeth's story overpowers that. In the year 1900, her "almost" death happened because of Peter, let's just say," was all I said. Now he looked kind of scared.

A small smile formed on my face. I laughed a bit at his reaction. He looked as if he was having an episode or something.

"I'm afraid to ask about your story," He replied honestly. He smiled back at me.

"It's not as horrific. But still," I said. It was quiet for a moment. Finally, I decided to break the silence.

"Shot on the side of the road in 1910. 10 years after Elizabeth," I added. My voice was low. But, he appeared to have heard me. His hand was now my leg.

The memory was too vague. All I could remember was that being the best part of the night. Screaming, aside from all the verbal abuse being shot at me. And, that wasn't even the whole story.

"I'm so sorry. What was it like?" He asked, with a concerned tone in his voice. My eyes grew sad. Neither of us was smiling anymore.

"Horrible. Almost as horrible as what had happened to my par-…" I trailer off. I was only making myself feel worse. He lifted one hand to place it over my heart. His other hand was no longer on my leg.

He had the warmest touch. It felt… so wonderful.

"Parent," He finished. I couldn't speak. So, I nodded again.

"They died in a bank shooting. I saw it happen. But, they didn't see me. I was already like this when it happened. So, they already thought I was dead," I said, when I finally found my voice.

I felt a lump in my throat. For once, I was glad I couldn't cry. That way, I wouldn't. At least, I couldn't in front of Dillan. I already felt weak as it was.

"I'm sorry," He whispered. I closed my eyes, and my head titled down a bit. I could still feel his hand on my heart.

The feeling, or even the thought of him touching me, was relaxing. It felt so good.

And for the first time, I noticed something else too. He smelled really good. But, not in a way that would send me into a crazy rampage.

"In 1920, was when Danielle joined the family. Her accident was similar to mine. Only, she was attacked; sort of. She was just outside of a bar, walking home from a friend's house."

"About a block away from home, six guys saw her. They were all standing outside a bar just around the corner from where she needed to go. All of them started to call her to come their way. But when she didn't," my voice trailed off again.

Dillan's free hand was now tracing along my lips. It tickled. My eyes slowly opened.

I was startled by how close his face now was to mine. Just inches apart.

"I think I know what happened next," he whispered. His breath blew in my face. I was hoping that no one would come to interrupt this perfect moment. Hopefully, the others would believe my little note.

I really hoped they wouldn't come looking for me. They were not to hurt my love. I waited for a moment. Nothing was happening. No one would wreck this.

I could now her fireworks going off in my head. Something was happening between us. And, I could tell that he felt it too.

"You have pretty eyes," He muttered. I was flattered. But, something told me that the time for talking was over.

I gasped. He was starting to remove his hands from my lips and my heart. Then, he placed each of them on each side of my face.

Dillan studied my face a few moments. It didn't take a mind reader to know what was going to happen next.

I knew what he wanted to do. What he soon would. I could feel my breathing getting heavier with each silent moment that passed.

I closed my eyes, to prepare myself.

It wasn't long after that before I felt his lips on mine.

This was weird. Dillan Bellard was kissing me. I felt his lips very soft on mine. But, this was too much. I was kissing the one I was supposed to hate.

This was the one that could not possibly love me. That did not mix. I pushed myself away, as my eyes flew open.

"I should go," I murmured. I stood up, and ran off without turning around.

Everything would be okay, as long as Dillan was not following me. But just in case, I didn't stop until I was at the front door.

My head was down, as I turned the doorknob. I pushed open the door, and closed it behind me, before turning around.

I almost jumped.

All three of them were standing there. Elizabeth's arms were crossed over her chest. And, all of their eyes were on me.

"Hello," I said innocently. Elizabeth started towards me, keeping her arms crossed.

"How was your hunting trip?" She asked me. I refused to show any hint of suspicion, because something was telling me that she was onto something.

"Fine," I simply replied. I walked passed her into the kitchen. I could hear their footsteps behind me.

"Really? That's great. But, I don't remember part of it begin lip locking with the enemy!" her voice rose. I felt frozen. I slowly turned around.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, with a bit of a stutter in my voice.

"Annabelle," Danielle said sadly. She was hurt. They all felt like I was betraying them.

"Do you think it was fun? For me to wander the forest to find my baby sister kissing a Bellard! Annabelle, he's the enemy!" Elizabeth shouted. This was unbelievable. Of his family, and ours I saw no enemies. I saw two families, who were in fact different.

"He's not," I mumbled pathetically. Peter groaned.

"Annabelle, he and his family are trying to kill us!" He shouted. I approached them all.

Look you guys! I know him, better now. He wants to be my friend. He isn't dangerous. He even saved me from Stephanie," I replied calmly. Danielle rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. I saw him getting all "friendly" on you. And you liked it!" Elizabeth shouted.

"Annabelle why!" Danielle cried. My head was slumped again. I walked out of the room, and up the stairs.

"Please Annabelle! We're only looking out for you!" Elizabeth called after me. I ignored them, and slammed my door shut.

I heard stomping, coming from the stairs. Suddenly, Danielle bursted through the door.

Please Annabelle. Talk to us," She pleaded. I turned around to find her standing there. Elizabeth and Peter were now standing in the doorway.

"Annabelle. We're sorry. We overreacted down there," Peter said apologetically.

"Can we just forget about everything that happened tonight?" I asked them. Obviously, tonight had been some kind of sign. Leading me in the direction. The one Dillan was obviously not in.

"Don't worry. You're forgiven," was all he said.

Chapter 21: Message

It turned out that everyone in town heard the news broadcast, from Kevin and Amanda. Everyone believed us, insisted that we come back to school.

That was good. But, my family and the Bellards, the same could not be said. They claimed on letting the other night go. But, something about that didn't sound right. They freak out every time I have some kind of contact with him.

The last time, being the most important. I kissed someone my family did not approve of. Well technically, he kissed me. But still, I kissed him back. No way my family's ok with this. So, I'll just have to find out myself. School, being the best time.

Before I knew it, we were finally back walking through the parking lot. Everyone seemed happy to see us.

"First day all over again," I thought. Coming through the front doors, we received a lot of "Hey Guys," and even a few "Glad your back," The message worked.

"Wow, it's working," Danielle whispered to Elizabeth.

"I know," She whispered back excitedly. I had to agree. I couldn't help, but feel guilty again. Kevin and Amanda were suffering. Something they had not done. They weren't responsible at all. We were.

I could imagine them in that jail cell. What was going to happen to them? Now I was scared. I was almost to a point, where I could confess.

"You ok?" Elizabeth whispered. I looked over to see whom she was talking to. She looked at me, in an anxious way.

"No. Kevin and Amanda are in trouble. And, it's because of us," I whispered, so low only she could hear. She sighed.

Then, she faced forward as we continued to walk. More people would talk to us. The nicer they got, the worse I felt. It wasn't until we reached the classroom, that Elizabeth spoke again.

"So, were you planning on talking to Dillan today?" The question caught me off guard. I was afraid to answer. But, what other options did I have at this point?

"Possibly," I admitted.

"Ok. Because actually, we wanted to talk to them." My eyes grew wide. They must be joking.

"Really?" I eyed them suspiciously.

"Yeah. We're going to apologize to them. Come on Peter. We'll go find them," Elizabeth said. She tugged on his arm, pulling him in the other direction. It was quiet, until they disappeared around the corner. Danielle turned to face me.

"I have to get to class. Um, I'll see you later," She said. She walked off, and was no longer facing me. I turned away, to walk into class. I kept my eyes on the doorway all hour, waiting for Peter to come.

He never did. In fact, neither him nor Elizabeth was in class all morning. Now, I knew something was wrong. Danielle was with me at lunch. But, she kept her eyes and head down.

"Do you know where Elizabeth and Peter are?" I asked her.

"They weren't in class." Danielle finally looked up. But, she still wouldn't look at me.

"They've been speaking with the Bellards," She answered. I smiled. They really were giving him a chance. I heard a vibrating sound. Danielle reached into her pocket to get her phone. She put it against her ear.

For the most part, she looked like she was listening. But, she eventually she spoke.

"Ok."

"Annabelle come on," She said as she got up. I stood up, and followed her through the halls. We stopped, when we found Elizabeth and Peter.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"Shh! Be very quiet," Peter whispered.

"What!"

"Listen. We talked to them. But, Dillan didn't take it very well," Elizabeth explained. My body went numb, as I hear his voice. He was yelling at his family.

"Look guys! You are making a big deal out of nothing. Annabelle is nothing. I could never be a friend to somebody like her. She's a vampire for crying out loud!" He shouted. I couldn't breathe.

"We're sorry. But, you needed to know the truth," Danielle whispered. I couldn't stand being here anymore. I ran off, and didn't stop until I was back in the front hall.

"Annabelle, what's wrong?" I heard behind me. Oh great! I felt a lump in my throat. I turned around to find him standing there. He looked concerned.

Did he mean for me to hear what I did? It could have been an accident. But, that's what he had said. I was fooled again.

"Leave me alone," I mumbled. My head slumped down. He didn't move.

"I mean it," I added. He lifted my chin up with one hand. I slapped it away.

"What did I do?" He demanded. Unbelievable. Why did he have to lie so much?

"Oh, Don't think I'm buying it this time. I trusted you. And, you turned your back on you word," I shouted. Now, I was upset. In my mind, tears were streaming down my face. I wanted to cry so much.

"But I-," He started to say. I cut him off.

"I thought you were different. Twice. But, you keep on betraying me. And, I have had enough of it," I said, as calm as I could be. Dillan was speechless.

He looked like he wanted to say something. But, he still remained silent. I spoke again.

"Leave me alone Dillan. I never want to see you again," I sobbed. He continued to stare at me. I waited a moment for him to speak. Nothing. I turned back around and slowly walked back to the cafeteria.

"Annabelle," I heard him whisper. I pretended that I didn't hear him, as I kept on walking. I went back to my table to find it empty. I took a seat, and laid my head down on the table.

How could he? Nothing? I was nothing? I let him fool me again. Well, no more, because I was done with him. I wish I could kill him. But, I already tried that.

That was the perfect time. And, I spared his life because I loved him. Did I still? It still felt like I did. I hate him for making me love him so much. What a mistake. It was one that I would never make again.

Just then, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I slowly lifted my head. If it was Dillan, I'm going to strangle him. And, I didn't care who saw. It was to my relief that it wasn't him. But, it surprised me that it wasn't my family either.

It was a boy. Cody, I think his name was. He sat in front of me in biology class.

"Hi Annabelle," He said politely. I watched him as he pulled a strand of blond hair from his face. Hmm. He was cute.

"Hello," I replied. My eyes were now on the doorway. The others were standing there, watching me.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to prom with me this Saturday?" I turned back over to him. Suddenly, the question sunk in. I could now feel Dillan's eyes burning on my back. I turned around.

And sure enough, he was watching me. Dillan appeared mad. Did he hear that? Maybe he did. This was perfect. I could use this to my advantage. I stood up.

"I would love that," I said now smiling. I looked over to him, from the corner of my eyes. He was even angrier.

"Great!" Cody finally said. He picked up my hand to kiss it. I kept myself smiling, in case Dillan was still watching. He probably was. Cody dropped my hand.

"See you later," He said.

"I'll give you the details in class," I replied. He nodded with a smile, before he turned to walk away. My smile then faded, as I sat back down. I could see the others walking towards me.

"What was that about?" Danielle asked me. My eyes were on all of them, as each one of them took a seat. I thought for a moment. Finally, I spoke.

"Cody asked me to the prom and I said yes," I muttered. They each exchanged glances, before they all looked at me again.

"That's cool. It's a great way to move on. Plus, Dillan does seem mad about it," Elizabeth said a singsong voice. Apparently, I wasn't the only one to have noticed. I smiled a wicked smile, imagining the threat he must be feeling.

"That'll teach him to mess with you," Peter mumbled. I kept a smile. But, it suddenly faded. The only reason I said yes was to upset Dillan. To get back at him for what he said about me. But, my family didn't know that. And, they couldn't.

"So, are you guys going to the prom?" I asked them. Changing the subject was definitely going to help me from telling them the truth.

"Yeah of course. We have word on Stephanie. She'll be in town on prom night. The rest of us are going undercover," Danielle whispered. I froze. If we weren't already under suspicions enough. If the rest of the school sees them fighting us, that would be bad.

Not to mention, the Bellards. They'll want to fight too. And, I wasn't teaming up with Dillan. No way!

"Any sign of them? We report to the forest," Peter ordered. I exhaled a sigh of relieve. That took care of one problem. Dillan on the other hand… was another.

The rest of the week passed. Kevin and Amanda were still in jail. And, the police were not allowing any visitors. Dillan tried talking to me. But, I was continuing to ignore him as much as possible. And, prom and my date with Cody were both approaching.

I was going with a boy I wasn't even interested in. But, he was cute. Perfect enough, to make Dillan jealous. The thought of it was funny. Maybe, he would feel so threatened, enough not to come. Maybe, he'll be too afraid to be seen. Maybe, he would come to me, begging for forgiveness, and ask me to the prom. But that night, I'll be focused on something else.

Stephanie and her clan were invading. And, they had to be stopped. There was only one problem? She was too strong. And, she was getting stronger everyday. It was only making it harder. Defeating her would be almost impossible. So, we'll have to be ready.

"6:32pm," my clock read. Cody would be here at seven. I already took a shower, and was now drying my hair, as my body was wrapped in a towel. The second I was done I grabbed my brush and yanked through several knots in my hair.

"Annabelle, twenty minutes!" Elizabeth shouted from down the hall.

"Okay!" I shouted back. I grabbed a hair tie, and pulled it back into a ponytail.

"Elizabeth, where's the curling iron?" I shouted, stepping out of the bedroom. She appeared in her doorway. She was wearing a blue knee lengthen dress. Her hair was messy, and she wasn't wearing any shoes.

"Check the bathroom," She answered before turning around and closing the door behind her. I ran to the bathroom to find it lying on the counter. It was already plugged in. I ran it through my hair a few times. Then, I unplugged it and shoved it under the counter.

I ran back to the room, to find my white dress hanging on the closet door. I yanked it off the hanger, and laid it on the bed. Then, I removed my towel and grabbed the dress, and slid it over my head. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Danielle opened it, and was carrying a box in one hand.

"Here's your shoes," She said, as she handed the box to me.

"Thanks," I said, taking the box. She was already dressed too. Her dress was as long as Elizabeth's and mine. Only, hers was pink.

"Annabelle, get down here!" Peter shouted. I glanced at the clock.

"7:00pm." I yanked off the shoebox lid, and took each shoe out one by one. I quickly slid them on, and headed out the door with Danielle. Elizabeth and Peter were already by the front door with Cody.

"Wow," was all he said. We reached the bottom of the stairs. I went to stand by him, as Danielle walked over to Elizabeth and Peter. She decided that she didn't want a date.

"You look great," He said. Peter went over to the door to open it.

"So do you," I said with a smile. We all headed out the door. And, it was off to the prom. Not to mention, there was more. Yep. This would be a night I would never forget.

Chapter 22: Attack

The school parking lot full by the time we got there. Luckily, we managed to find a parking space on the side of the road. As soon as the car stopped, we all got out. We headed for the sidewalk and walked in through the front doors.

"Where do we go?" Danielle asked.

"Follow me," Cody answered as he led us in the direction towards the gym. By the time we got there, we saw everyone else walking through the doors. We followed behind, and pushed open the gym doors.

"Wow," was then all I could say, because it was. The room was dark, aside from the giant disco ball dangling from the ceiling.

"Let's Dance!" Danielle shouted. I watched Peter and Elizabeth follow her onto the dance floor.

"Wanna go sit down?" Cody suggested. I turned to him and nodded.

"Sure." I followed him to the tables and chairs, off to the side of the room. I sat myself down.

"I'm going to the snack table. Would you like anything?" He offered.

"No thank you. But, kind of you to offer," I replied. He smiled.

"I'll be back," He added. I watched him head for the table close to the DJ. I sighed. My eyes went back over to the others. They were now the center of the dance floor. I turned to face the main entrance, to watch everyone else coming in. I saw someone I knew. It was Jesse.

She appeared to be with somebody else. But, there were too many people, I couldn't tell. But, when everyone else cleared out of the way, it was all clear to me. Dillan!

She's with Dillan! How? She said she didn't like him. I don't believe this. There was no way I could upset him now. He's probably forgotten all about me.

Of course, he has. Someone like him could never go for someone like me. And despite how mad I was, I had to admit that he looks perfect in a tuxedo.

I watched as he led Jesse onto the dance floor, as a new song was starting. Peter, Elizabeth, and Danielle were heading for the tables. But, they didn't appear to notice Dillan.

"Hey," I heard behind me. I turned around to see Cody back. From behind him, I could see Sam and Caroline walking in. Great! How can I upset Dillan now? Wait. I could dance. Better than anyone else in this room. That's it!

"We should dance," I said getting up from my seat. I held out my hand.

"Okay let's go," He agreed taking my hand. We started heading towards them. I had to make sure Dillan sees me. As we got closer to the middle, he still didn't see me. Either that, or he was ignoring me.

We started dancing. He spun me around several times, only causing me to "accidentally" bump into Dillan. Now he saw. He was trying to out dance me. He probably knew that I was trying to out dance him.

And, this little "competition", went on until the song ended. Everyone started cheering. I looked around only to find all four of us in the middle of the dance floor.

I smiled and took a bow. Cody grabbed my hand, and we headed back to the tables.

"Wow. That was great. You're an awesome dancer!" He said rather impressed. I smiled.

"Thanks. So were you," I answered. He was a good dance partner. But, suddenly my expression went down.

Now, I really felt guilty. I don't even think that half the stuff I'm saying to him is true. I just wanted Dillan jealous.

And even though it worked. Even though I had won, did I really? Because, It felt more like I had lost. I was losing my mind. Even though, I wanted so much to get revenge. But, doing something like this?

Hurting an innocent person. Using him like this, it was so… BOOM!

The next thing I knew, I was on the ground. I looked around to see everyone else there too. The gym was a mess. I got up to find my cheek covered in blood. I could feel it dripping down my face, and soaking through my dress. Some was even on the floor.

Lucky enough, no one appeared dead. Not yet anyway! I knew how this happened. What we had been waiting for. I looked over to the entranceway.

"Annabelle, what's going on?" I heard Cody shriek. He was tugging on my arm. But, I didn't answer. My eyes stayed fixed on the door. He let go of my arm. It felt wet. No, I knew why blood was all over me. But, I was having bigger problems, beyond my blood stained dress. Three figures were now coming through the door.

"Did you really think you could stop us?" One of them shouted. I knew that voice. I looked around to find Elizabeth, Peter, and Danielle surrounding me. And, I was almost thrilled to find the Bellards standing. We would need all the help that we could get.

"We know we can!" I shouted back. I started towards them. I could hear everyone's footsteps behind me.

"Give it up Stephanie. You can't win!" Danielle shouted.

"You're outnumbered!" Peter added. Stephanie crouched down to the ground.

"That may be but." I didn't see where she came from. But, she now had Danielle on the ground.

"We Are Stronger!" Katharine shouted. She crouched the same way Stephanie had, and died for me. I saw it coming. I flew up, and was now on the roof. She was right behind me. Suddenly, she was thrown away.

"Stay Away!" Dillan shouted. I gasped. He was helping me. Again.

"Go!" He shouted. I ran away, and jumped down from the roof. The others "even the Bellards) were fighting off Stephanie and Andrew. Well, at least most of them. Where's Peter?

"Annabelle!" Danielle shouted. Her scream interrupted my thoughts. I rushed to her, and dived Stephanie away about fifty feet into the air. I watched, as she slammed hard into the ground.

"What do we do?" Danielle asked me. I thought real quickly about this. But, my mind came to no conclusion.

"I-," I started to say. I shrugged.

"We'll have to start a fire!" I heard behind me. I turned around, and I couldn't believe it.

"Kevin, Amanda! How did you guys get out?" Danielle shrieked.

"Peter got us out. He proved us all innocent!" Kevin explained. I smiled.

"That's great!"

"Look out!" Kevin shouted. He dived over me. I turned around. Andrew almost got me. I looked up on the roof to find Dillan still fighting Katharine. She appeared to have something hidden in her back pocket. But, I couldn't quite make it out.

"Annabelle!" I turned around and Amanda was fighting Stephanie! I rushed towards them, to help her out. Suddenly, Sam came and dived at her.

"I'll hold her off!" He shouted. Amanda pulled me by my arm and started to run. We caught up with the others. And, that left the Bellards as the only ones fighting.

"They're helping us!" Amanda exclaimed. I nodded. They actually want to. Unbelievable.

"And, we should help them," I muttered.

"Let's do it!" Kevin declared. We all raced off in different directions. But, I didn't move just yet. Dillan needed help. My help. But, should I? He called me nothing. Made me believe that he actually wanted to be my friend.

Was it worth letting him risk his life? Maybe. But, to let my anger and hurt interfere? Now that wasn't cool. I could help him, even if he didn't want me. But, no one said anything about talking to him. I made my choice.

"Oh Katharine!" I shouted. She turned in this direction.

"Why you little!" She was coming in much faster, than I had expected.

"Uh-oh!" I mumbled. She dived me way too far into the ground. I gasped, without breathing. My eyes were barely open. I could only see a blurry figure coming this way. It was hard to tell who it was. But, they appeared mad. My vision got a bit clearer.

"Dillan," I muttered. Why did he care so much about me? He obviously didn't want me dead. But, did that really make him happy about me being alive?

Wait of course. He knows how I mad I am. And, he just wants me to forget about it. He thinks sparing my life will make us even. Selfish. That's what he's being. And yet, I'm helping him. I saw something in Katharine's back pocket again.

The item looked familiar. She started to reach for it. I looked over to Dillan. He was on the ground too. Wait a minute. Now I knew that object. It was a dagger. But, it wasn't just any old dagger. It was the same one I had used when I almost….

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard screaming. I eyes were now fully open, and I slowly turned my head. The rest of the Bellards were down.

Since I recognized the scream to be Caroline's, I looked to her. Andrew was holding a dagger too. And it had blood on it!

"No!" I screamed. But by the time I was up, it was too late. By now, Dillan could barely move.

"Annabelle!" Someone shouted. My head turned back to the Bellards. The others were standing around them, as Kevin kept fighting off Katharine, Andrew, and Stephanie.

"What do we do?" Peter asked Elizabeth. Danielle just shook her head. Instead, bent down towards Caroline and she… Oh my!

"We're going to have to change them!" She called to me. The rest of them got on the ground and did the same as she had. I turned back to Dillan.

What if it didn't work? But, the thought of him like…. Me. It was unbearable. Should I? I don't know. I placed my hand over his chest. His heart rate was slowing down. And, death was getting closer. Was saving him the right thing to do? Would it solve anything?

"Annabelle!" Elizabeth shouted. I nodded. There would be only one way to find out. I scooted myself over to another side of him. I got close enough, that I could practically feel him.

"This is for your own good," I whispered.

And then, I slowly sunk my teeth into his neck. I was careful to suck out just enough blood. He started shaking.

He was either going through a transformation, or having a panic attack. And before I expected it, he was screaming. I released my teeth, and leaned my head back up. His eyes were closed.

"I think we were too late," I heard Danielle murmur behind me. I stood up. She could be right.

"If we had only been quicker," my voice trailed off. Eleven go into the fight. Six remained. It was no use. Stephanie could not be stopped. Not any of them. Did we really stand a chance?

The odds weren't looking so good. If only there was something we could do. The others crowded around me. But, all of their eyes were facing forward. We had to stay strong.

Stephanie had fought Kevin off. He crawled back to us, and stood up beside me.

"Elizabeth? You and Annabelle start a fire. Everyone else, you know what to do," He whispered to all of us. We all nodded. I knew what to do. Now, I just had to do it.

We all stood together. And now, we prepared ourselves for what may happen next!

Chapter 23: Purpose on Earth

We were all standing before the enemy. It was seven against three. But, those three were much stronger. And therefore, making it more and more impossible to defeat them.

"Everyone. Brace yourselves," Amanda whispered. I gulped.

I already knew how this would end. The same ending Dillan had. His whole family was gone. Every last one of them died on their behalf. Why didn't I act sooner?

Maybe, I would have had a chance of saving him. And instead, I let my fear and hatred get the best of me. Now, I would suffer.

Stephanie was right. We had no way of stopping her. There was nowhere to run. And nowhere we could hide.

"Need some help? " My eyes grew wide. I knew who that was. But, I just couldn't believe it. I turned my head, as everyone else did the same. It was them? A smile grew on my face.

"We did it!" Peter shouted behind me. It was so hard to believe. Seeing them, like this. But, whom were they referring to? Whose side were they on?

"Attack!" Caroline shouted. They raced off. But, they weren't aiming for us. They all had the three of them pinned to the trees.

"Elizabeth, Annabelle? Go start a fire. Now!" Kevin ordered. I nodded, as my eyes shifted to Elizabeth. She was looking deep into the forest.

"Elizabeth let's go!" I half whispered. She didn't turn around. But, she appeared to have heard me. She started walking into the forest. I ran after her, before anyone could see.

"Annabelle. This way!" She whispered back. She was speeding up, and I was starting to fall behind. But by the time I caught up, I could hear the others fighting again.

"There's a pile of wood just ahead," She said, her voice a bit louder than before. I nodded, as I picked up the pace. We kept running, until we came up to a big pile.

"I'll get started. Go tell the others," She ordered. She headed for the pile and started to rub pieces together.

I started heading back towards the fight. When I reached the others, I could now see a bright light from the corner of my eye. The fire!

But, I would have to help them. My eyes shifted to each of them. Dillan was in trouble. He wasn't strong enough, even as a newborn. He needs my help. I ran towards him, and pushed Andrew off him. I tackled him to the ground.

Then, I grabbed a sharp, pointy piece of wood and jammed it hard into his back. He shouted, until he stopped moving. I took the wood out, and threw it onto the ground. I looked up at Dillan.

He was staring at the now lifeless body. His eyes were wide.

"Follow that light. Throw the body in. Elizabeth will help you," I pointed towards the glowing light hiding in the trees.

"Ok," He shouted. I watched as he picked up the body, and raced into the forest.

"Annabelle!" Sam shouted. I turned around. Him, Jeff, and Caroline were trying to fight off Katherine. I grabbed the same piece of wood and threw it towards them.

"Use this!" I shouted. Jeff caught it in one toss.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" He demanded, referring to the piece of wood.

"Jam that into her. Then, follow that glowing light! Stay there, and help Elizabeth burn the bodies!" I shouted. I could hear thunder booming in the sky. A storm was arising. And, it was making it harder to shout over all the noise. He nodded, as he jammed it as hard as he could into Katharine's chest.

"Kevin, Amanda, Danielle? Go help them!" I shouted. They all stared at me for a moment. But then, they all finally nodded. I was going to fight Stephanie myself.

"You and your little boyfriend may have defeated my army. But, that doesn't mean that you'll be able to stop me!" She shouted. I could now feel little drizzles of water pouring down on me. But, my eyes stayed fixed on her. This ends now.

I dived into the air, completely passing her. When I reached the ground, I grabbed a few pieces of wood. But when I turned back around, I didn't expect to find Stephanie behind me.

She tackled me to the ground, causing me to drop all the wood from my hands. I was pinned down. And, I couldn't move an inch. She reached for one of the pieces of wood I had dropped. There was nothing I could do. This was the end… for me.

"Now you will know what it's like, to have everything you could ever want. And have it all taken away. Not even your family could save you now!" She was about to drop her hand. I squeezed my eyes shut. Through my mind, I now saw my life flash before my eyes. What could I do? There was only one thing I could think of.

"Help! Danielle! Peter! Anybody!" I screamed. Stephanie just laughed. But, I couldn't hear anybody coming. Shouting had done absolutely nothing. And, I had given Stephanie the satisfaction. Oh no!

"Ah!" my eyes flew open. Stephanie collapsed to the ground, and right off of me. I could see the piece of wood stabbed hard into her heart. It was suddenly yanked out. I gasped.

"Annabelle come on," I could feel someone pulling me up. Someone was dragging me by my arms through the forest.

"Are you ok?" I heard a voice say. I looked up.

"Yeah. What happened?" I asked. I picked myself onto my feet.

"I can walk now," I added.

"Don't worry. Dillan took care of Stephanie. You're safe now," Danielle responded. My mouth dropped open. Dillan saved me!

Hopefully he was ok. I almost saw him die once. And, I couldn't see it again. I kept walking behind Danielle, until we reached the others. The fire was still running. Most of them were throwing wood inside.

"Where's Dillan?" Caroline asked, as she approached us.

"Right here. I've got Stephanie!" I heard behind me. I didn't turn around, as Dillan walked passed me, and threw the body into the fire.

"It's over," Elizabeth murmured. I nodded.

"Let's head back," Peter added. The rest of us followed him back. Dillan walked right behind me. I turned around from time to time. But, I always found him facing forward. I sighed, as I turned back around.

By the time we had reached the school, everybody was waiting outside. All of them were facing us. And as we got closer, no one said anything. I saw Cody come out from the crowd. It was silent.

"Annabelle," He sounded mad.

"I can explain," I started to say. He waved his hand in my face.

"You could. But, I know the only reason you said yes to me is because of him," He whispered. He pointed towards Dillan.

"It's over!" He shouted, as he walked away. I could hear Jesse groan. I turned around, just in time to see her stomp away. I felt so bad now. My plan had backfired.

This whole thing would not have started, if Dillan hadn't used me to begin with.

"Elizabeth," I called, as I started heading in her direction. I couldn't help but notice the Bellard's near by. They were watching me. Even Dillan. I turned back to Elizabeth. My voice was low enough, so no one else would hear.

I got close enough, that I could practically feel him.

"Annabelle!" I turned back around. It was Elizabeth. Her and the others were on stage. She held the microphone in her hand. All of their eyes were on me.

"Don't leave!" Danielle shouted. I kept my eyes on all of them; ignoring all the stares everyone else was giving me. What are they doing up there?

"Annabelle. We have to tell you something," Peter finally said. I saw the Bellard's except Dillan join the others on stage. Caroline snatched the microphone from Elizabeth's hand.

"Annabelle. This whole thing's our fault. Dillan never said anything of what you heard," She said. Wait, what did that mean? He never said that stuff? But, it was his voice that had spoken it. It didn't make sense. Sam snatched the microphone.

"We recorded his voice, so we could "fix" the tape". And, we made it sound like he said those things." He was quiet for a moment. I could not believe what I was hearing. He finally spoke up again.

"What you heard was a tape recorder."

"We didn't want you guys around each other. But, that was selfish of us to do what we did. And, I know you guys only came with other people to make the other one jealous. But we now realize that you two belong together," Danielle said. She put down the microphone, and stepped off stage. The others walked towards me.

"Come with us," Peter murmured. They pulled me with them, as they started to walk towards the middle of the room. Everyone else in the room crowded around.

I looked up. Dillan was on the other side of me, with his family. Elizabeth and Caroline both stepped forward.

"We're so sorry we did this. You guys should be together. If that's what you want," Caroline said, as she looked at each of us. I felt Peter push me a bit forwards, as Sam did the same to Dillan. Caroline's eyes gestured towards me, as Elizabeth looked to Dillan, and spoke.

"Dillan. Do you love my sister?" I felt my body grow cold. I looked over at him. He was facing down, before he finally looked into my eyes, and spoke.

"Yes." I couldn't breath. He loves me. My heart was fluttering. I gasped aloud. I looked back to Caroline. Her eyes were still on mine.

"Annabelle. Do you love Dillan?" She asked. I was scared to respond. What I wanted to say? That I knew. But how do I say it? The room had now grown quiet. But, I finally looked up and said:

"Yes." He smiled, as he walked up to me.

"You could never be nothing to me," He said. I smiled back. He reached out his hand to place it into mine.

I walked closer to him, and finally kissed him. I felt his arms wrapped around me. I could hear several awes and lots of cheering around me. I pulled away, as he released me. Then, I turned to face everyone else. Both families.

"You guys are forgiven!" I exclaimed. They pulled us both in their arms. I pulled away from them, before placing my hand back in Dillan's. I watched as Elizabeth stuck her hand towards Caroline.

"What do you say? Friends?" She just looked at Elizabeth. Then, she reached out her hand to shake Elizabeth's.

"Friends," She said smiling. Everyone cheered, as the music picked back up. I looked at Dillan. He turned to me.

"Shall we?" He asked. I nodded with a smile. He kept one hand in mine, and put the other around my waist. I pulled myself closer to him, as my free arm wrapped around him. I lay my head onto his chest as we slowly started to move.

"I am sorry for being so mean to you. If I could start the night over, I would. I wanted to come with you," I said, low enough so hopefully he would be the only one to hear.

"Me too," He simply replied. I could feel his face bury into my hair. But, I could have sworn I heard him say.

"I love you." I smiled again.

"I love you too," I said back. I pulled myself as close to him, as I could. I wished this night could last forever. Forever I had my family. I had Dillan. Always. The thought of him as a vampire seemed different.

But, I knew we are going to be ok. We were mean't to be. But even if he were a vampire now, inside he would still be my vampire hunter. He was my life. And I was his.

In his arms, I wanted to be. With my family. Both together are whom I wanted to be with. I was the purpose. Why Dillan belonged? Why I spared his life? Me. I was his purpose. And, forever it will always be.

**THE END**


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